Hero of the day
by MariaGuerinCullenWinchester
Summary: It s a cross between the Hunger games and Divergent with Aliens in the mix. Maria volunteers for her brother in the fighting games and this is the Story about her experience as a candidate and the aftermath of it all.
1. Chapter 1

**Prolog**

Maria glanced at the horizon; a small breeze was brushing her long blonde hair away from her shoulders. So many years she had stood there and so many years she wondered what was outside the fence that was keeping her prisoner. She couldn´t remember a time when she wasn´t curios about life outside her district; the Roswell District.

Since the aliens landed sixty years ago and took over the planet, humans were kept under strict surveillance; jammed into different districts and ordered to keep among themselves and not put one foot outside the fence. People had tried it, but the second they had been outside the district they had been shot from the alien peacekeeper walking the streets.

Maria wished everyday that someone would find the courage to do something and start to strike back at them; but no one was brave enough to go against the mighty aliens with their extraterrestrial powers and their little tricks to keep the humans in line.

Not that their life was so bad; the Roswell District was in far better shape than the other districts around them. People didn´t die on the streets anymore or fell over from starvation, but that didn´t mean it was good either.

Her family was even lucky enough to have food on the table every day; their clothes were always clean and undamaged and their small little house was lit by light, had warm water available to them and was fully furnished. People looked up at them in some way, because despite the high number of family members living under the same roof, there was never any trouble.

And that was an accomplishment in itself when she thought about her three brothers. Sean was the oldest from the bunch, a real womanizer with the charm of a Casanova. With his 22 years, he was some sort of freak, because he wasn´t married and was producing kids left and right. But he said that he was waiting for the right woman; whatever that meant.

Then there was Kyle, he was the opposite from Sean. He fell in love with a girl named Tess at the age of sixteen and four years later they were married and expecting their first child. He had always been the responsible kind of guy and everybody loved him.

The last of her brothers was Theo, the baby of the family. He was only 8 years old, but the spitting image of their father. The last few days he lost two teeth and every time he was smiling everyone around him was smiling with him, because of his missing teeth. He was the sunshine of the family and Maria loved him to pieces.

" You know, you´re not supposed to be here".

Maria glanced over her shoulder at the person sneaking up on her and grinned at her childhood friend Alex. He was the only guy her father felt comfortable with, because there was never something between them. They were like brother and sister. " Yeah well, I´m never where I´m supposed to be".

Alex shook his head at her. She would one day get in trouble for her rebellious nature or they would write books about her for saving humankind. " True, but it´s time. The selection is in half an hour and your parents are already panicking".

" Great; I can´t wait".

The Selection was another kind of punishment from the aliens to show the humans who was in control. Every year six people from the age of 8 to 18 were picked from every district and sent to some boot camp where they got trained to survive. In the end only 2 had the privilege to fight against eighteen other chosen in the annual Fighting Games; a pleasure for all aliens.

Alex took her hand and dragged her with him. He knew that she wanted to escape this place and everyday he wondered when it would finally happen. She was smart and not like any other girl their age; she would probably even make it to the outside; but he was always worried about her as well. Even though her father taught her a lot about hunting, he was scared for her. She was impulsive and most of time she said what was on her mind, which could break her neck on day.

Maria was dreading this day every year. She had never gotten picked, but she had seen all those young girls and boys walking to their deaths; with the aliens just cheering at the loss of their lives. So many men and women had lost their children; just to entertain those aliens. It was barbaric and disgusting.

" There you are".

Maria made a face at the small, dark haired woman hurrying towards her. Her mother was always the same; worried that her daughter had escaped or got in trouble or was messing around with a young man. " Yeah, on time for watching two lives getting destroyed again".

Amy Valenti put her hand on her daughter´s mouth and glanced around. Hopefully no one had heard that or else there would be bad consequences. She had seen people getting shot for fewer reasons. " Would you stop saying things like that! I don´t want you getting killed"

" Mom, nobody cares about what we say or do as long as we keep in line and do our jobs", Maria wondered what would happen if she screamed that aliens were scum in front of the whole crowd standing on the square in front of the city hall.

Amy gave her a look that said she should keep her mouth shut. Then she went to her husband's side and linked her arm with his. Her other hand was lying on her youngest son's shoulder to keep him in her sight.

Maria pressed air forcefully out of her lungs and then stepped towards her family. The moment Theo saw her, he left his mother´s side and ran in her direction. Jumping in her arms, he grinned at his sister. " Oh man, you´re getting heavy. One of these days I´m not able to hold you anymore".

" You´re so funny", Theo said with his tooth gap; slightly lisping.

Maria put a loud smacking kiss on his cheek and watched him making a face at her. He hated to get kissed in public, because he was a big boy and those didn't get kissed from family. He was instantly wiping his skin where her lips had made contact. " Not as funny as you, squirt".

Theo looked at his sister like she was coolest person around. Sometimes he got snippets of conversations between his parents and it was usually about Maria and her smart mouth. He didn´t know why they were so worried about her; she was just talking and not doing anything. At least when he got lectured he had done something wrong. " Why is Mom so scared today?".

" Hey, it´s time to get in your line", one of the alien peacekeeper was interrupting the little time between the siblings.

Maria sat her brother down and took his hand. They wouldn´t be at the same place, but she would at least get him to the spot where everyone his age was standing. She was farther in the back with the other seventeen year old teenager. " So you stay here and don´t move. Just watch what the others are doing and mimic them. As soon as the show is over I will get you again, okay?".

Theo glanced up at her and some fear was shining in his eyes. It was his first time that he was here and he didn´t feel comfortable with other people he didn´t know. He wished his sister would be with him. But he knew that if he wanted to be a big boy, he had to act like it. " Okay".

" It will be over soon and then we´ll do something together", Maria kissed his forehead quickly before he could protest and then went to her line, where Alex was already waiting for her. He had saved a spot for her and despite the dire situation he was grinning and gave her two thumbs up. " How can you be so optimistic?".

Alex shrugged; he didn´t know why he didn´t fear this day so much; at least he didn´t fear it since he was thirteen. Maybe it was the fact that even if he got picked, he would never be in the Fighting Games, because only the strongest made it there. " Genes? Character flaw? Why are you always so pessimistic?".

Maria punched his shoulder lightly. He was always teasing her about her dark view of the world, but how could she be happy and smiling when they got robbed of their identity? People were dying in other districts and nobody was doing anything against it. " You know why".

" Relax will you".

Before Maria could reply something, a woman with blonde hair and pink highlights was stepping up in front of the microphone on the little stage that was only put there for this day. Her make up was a little too much and her clothes were screaming eye cancer. " Hello, Hello. It´s a wonderful day for this occasion and I´m honored to have the privilege to be here this year again".

Maria bent closer to Alex and whispered. " Yeah, she isn´t the one getting forced to fight for her life".

" I hope Kathleen spares us the entire speech she did last year", every year it was always the same words; the same blablabla. It was getting old and no one was actually listening to her anymore. It was like a punishment before the real punishment.

Maria snorted; yeah fat chance of that happening. They had to endure the whole thirty minutes of mindless chatter from the woman and then they waited for the Selection and then they were finally free to go. Tuning the voice out, Maria tried to scan the crowd for her little brother, but he was so small and there were too many people between them that she couldn´t see him.

Then suddenly the tone of the whole event was changing and everyone paid attention again. Maria instantly grasped Alex hand and squeezed it. Even though she had endured a few of those Selections already, she was always nervous and scared. Watching the huge monitor in front of them, they waited for the first unlucky person to get picked.

" First chosen. Mason James", the name was followed by a picture of a young boy, who couldn´t be older than ten years old. Instantly a woman was breaking out in tears and was screaming while the boy was getting lead to the stage from two peacekeepers.

" Next one. Josh Hale", the picture they flashed was of a young buff man, probably around eighteen. He went with the peacekeepers without any drama and no one was crying or screaming.

" Followed by. Zoey Lawrence", a pretty girl with dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin, maybe eleven or twelve. For a moment she was looking like a deer caught in the headlights, but then she calmly stepped out of her line and went to the stage. A woman and a few girls were quietly crying.

" Okay, this one is. Elizabeth Parker", before the picture was shown a sound escaped the mentioned girl. She was shaking her head and saying no over and over again. Her long brown hair was swinging with the motion of her denial and her brown eyes were filled with tears. The peacekeepers were instantly at her side to pick her up and half pushed and half dragged her away.

" There is always one that has to make a scene. Well the show must go on. So our next candidate is. Maxwell Evans".

Maria turned around and glanced at the guy behind her. She knew him from school. He was very quiet and kept mostly to himself, but she thought he was cute in the puppy dog kinda way. He was sighing loudly before he walked towards the stage. Maria felt Alex release her hand, now that the worst was over and she was beginning to relax again. Just one more person and they could go home. The cup had passed her this year again. Smiling at her friend for a moment she breathed out in relief before turning to the monitor again and there she saw the last picture she wanted to see there.

" The last one is. Theo Valenti".

Maria heard her mother first, then her father trying to comfort her, closely followed from her brothers, who were in disbelief. As soon as she noticed the peacekeepers nearing the line her brother was standing in, she pushed past Alex and everyone in her wake. The only thing that stopped her was one of the peacekeeper blocking her path with his gun. She knew that she could either go calmly back to her place or attack him and risk getting killed. But before she could decide what way to go, she glanced to the side and her heart clenched when she saw the scared look from her little brother.

" I volunteer!".

Everyone stopped and stared at her in astonishment. There had never been a volunteer in all the years of the Fighting Games and it was clearly visible in the way that all seemed not to now how to proceed from that point on. Kathleen Topolsky excused herself and went behind the stage while Maria was standing in the valley between all the children and teenagers, just held back by a peacekeeper. Theo and his escorts had stopped as well and were just waiting for an order. The tension was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife.

Amy Valenti had feared this day for so long; all the praying and begging had been very much useless. Hiding her face in her husbands shoulder, she let the tears fall. She barely heard Jim telling that everything would be alright while Sean was trying to find the right words and failing miserably. He wished he would not be too old to get picked, so he would have been able to volunteer. Theo was just a baby and not able to defend himself and Maria was a girl; granted she was a little bit tougher than most, but still a girl.

Kyle had to use every ounce of strength in his body to keep at his spot, even though his urge to go to his siblings was very overwhelming. Glancing back at his Tess, he saw the shock and the surprise on her face. No one could believe what happened.

Alex should have known that today of all days, the trouble he had always feared would one day happen to his best friend would be coming. He had felt something would be going down and that it somehow involved her. Damn him and his right gut feeling.

" Okay, I just spoke to my superior and they agreed to let the young woman take the place of the boy", Kathleen had made it back on stage and was now beckoning Maria to come to her.

Slowly she made her way in the direction of the stage, not glancing at the people lining on either sides of her and not listening to the murmurs around her. She felt like she was outside her body and watched herself marching down the path to her sure death. When she passed the first row, she saw out of the corner of her eyes her little brother trying to get to her and getting held back from a peacekeeper. Smiling slightly at him, she tried to get him to calm down before he would get hurt. Then she climbed the few steps on the stage and took her place in line with the other chosen.

Kathleen Topolsky glanced at them all and then she turned her attention back to the crowd. " Well, can I get a little applause for our six chosen?".

Everyone was staring silently to the front, but no one clapped their hands together. Instead they used an old hand gesture that stood for respect and bravery. All people lifted their right fist in the air simultaneously; like they had arranged it. The six chosen on the stage were so moved from the support that they also were lifting their fists in the air.

Kathleen was thrown from the display and she tried to find words to get the show going again. But then she saw one cameraman shaking his head at her and she knew that it was over. As soon as the cameras were out, the peacekeepers were pushing the people away from the square and others were herding the six chosen inside the town hall.

**A few minutes later**

Maria was pacing the room she had been put in. She was still not really realizing what she had done and part of her feared what would happen as soon as it would be sinking in. But how could she not change the place with her brother? He wouldn´t have any chance in the arena, whereas she could still make it, even if the odds weren´t exactly in her favor.

Rubbing her face with both hands, she tried to keep the panic that was threatening her to keep at bay. It was too late to change anything and she had to make the most of it. Looking out of the window, she watched the people on the street and she wondered if she would ever see this place again. What about her family? Her friends?

Suddenly the door to her room was opened and she whirled around. For a moment she stared at the people piling inside before she threw her arms around her mother and her father. " I´m so glad to see you".

" What were you thinking?", Amy scolded her daughter through the tears falling from her eyes.

Maria wasn´t so surprised about the words, she knew the woman long enough to foresee her reactions in advance. " I couldn´t let Theo go through this".

Jim wasn´t a very emotional man and most of the time, he was keeping his feelings to himself. But this time he made an exception. Even though he wasn´t crying so openly like his wife, his eyes were glassy and a lump had formed in his throat. " What you did was brave. Very stupid, but brave".

" Thank you", Maria fought her tears. She knew if she started now, she would probably never stop again. This was hard enough, she didn´t need the others to think she was weak. It wouldn´t look good for her if their first impression of her was a girl with red rimmed eyes.

Sean shook his head and he blinked his eyes rapidly to repress the tears there. He had always complained about his sister and what a pain in his ass she was, but he had never wished her this fate. She was more than just a sibling; she was more like him than his brothers. " I hope you know what you´re getting yourself into. There will be no big brother to save your butt this time".

Maria turned to him and she stifled a sob trying to escape her. Flinging her arms around him, she squeezed him almost to death. Despite their constant bickering, she loved him very much. " I know, but you and Dad taught me well".

" I can´t believe what you did; I´ll miss you", Tess hiccupped and wrapped her arms around her friend. She just hoped that the girl would still be able to be there when she gave birth. It wouldn´t feel right without her and she knew that her husband would want her to be there.

Maria patted the other girls back in comfort. The pregnancy had made her so mushy and emotional. Over her shoulder she glanced at Kyle, who was furiously wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He was like their father in regard to showing feelings. She released her weeping friend and went to him. " You´ll take care of your wife and the others. Keep an eye on Alex for me".

Kyle lost his fight with his tears and he embraced her while he buried his face in her shoulder. They hadn´t gotten along for a while, because he thought of her as a burden instead of a addition, but now he couldn´t even imagine a life without her in it. " Be careful. Don´t forget what we taught you. You´re not like anyone else".

" I´m Teflon. I won´t go down without a fight", Maria´s eyes started to water and she knew that it wouldn´t take too long before she started bawling like a baby. Pushing herself back from her brother, she felt someone was pulling at the hem of her skirt. Looking down, she saw Theo staring back at her with his clear blue eyes. Crouching down on his level, she broke her resolve to not cry. " You be good, you hear me. Listen to Mom and Dad and do not get in trouble".

Theo sobbed uncontrollable and threw his arms around her. " I´m sorry. It´s my fault".

Maria shook her head, even though she knew that he couldn´t see it. Standing up with him in her arms, she made him look at her. How could she show him that what she had done was not his fault; it was her duty, her responsibility to take care of him? She would have done the same for anyone of her family. " No it´s not. It was my choice to volunteer and I don´t regret it. I would do the same again and again. That´s what siblings do for each other".

" I´m still sorry".

Maria smiled at him and kissed him; this time without him making a face at her. She would try everything to either come back or win this fucking Fighting Games. For this little man, she would do everything in her powers to stay alive. " Don´t be. I love you so much", looking around her family she smiled at them. " I love you all. And I will see you again".

Everyone moved at the same time and within seconds there was just a bundle of arms as the family joined each other in a group hug. More tears were shed and words of encouragement were spoken. Jim reminded his daughter that she was special and she was able to serious kick some ass. Amy told her that she should be careful and always wear fresh underwear. Kyle and Tess made her promise not to let herself get pushed around from anyone. Sean communicated with his eyes with her and said to her that she should be cautious with her secret, which she acknowledged with a small nod of her head.

Then a peacekeeper was opening the door. " It´s time to go".

Maria kissed everyone from her family before she watched them leave. Her heart was breaking at the sight and she quenched her urge to run after them. She had never been apart from them for more than a night or even a day. This would be the first time for her on her own and it was terrifying; even more than the thought of being in the Fighting Games.

Just before the peacekeeper managed to close the door again, he was almost run over from another visitor, who was pleading for a few seconds of her time. To the surprise of her, the peacekeeper told him that he had a minute and then he would come and get him before walking away.

" Alex!", Maria threw her arms around him and held him close. She had already thought they wouldn´t see each other before she would have to go.

Alex didn´t cry like the rest of her family; he just pressed her tight to his body and enjoyed the last few moments with her before her departure into the unknown. There wasn´t a doubt in his mind that he would see her again, but a small part of him wanted to get as much from her as he could. Her scent, the way her body was yielding to his when they embraced; the dimples that were appearing on her face when she smiled and her sparkling green eyes. " I knew that you would do something like that one day".

Maria laughed at his words. She had known that as well and she was like always amazed how well the guy knew her. He was not only her best friend, it was like he was her other half; in a purely platonic way; like twins separated at birth. " Yeah; it was just a matter of time".

" You´ll do fine; you´re not like anyone else. Just promise me to be careful and not try to be too reckless", Alex wished he could be there with her to keep an eye on her. She was sometimes too brave for her own good and it was making her sometimes overestimating herself.

Maria knew what he was referring to, but unfortunately she knew herself too good to promise him something like that. " I´ll try".

Alex released her and then he took something out of his pockets. It was a coin; his lucky penny that he had found when he tripped over his own feet once again. It had brought him a lot of luck since then and he thought she would need it more than him. " Here take this with you".

" Alex? I can´t take it".

Alex pressed the coin into her hand and closed her fingers around it. Even though he couldn´t be with her in this uncertain times, it was like a small part of him was at her side. " Please, do this favor for me and keep it".

Maria was moved about his gift and she kissed him in gratitude. He was always so thoughtful and she would miss him dearly. Embracing him for the last time, she told him that she loved him before there was a knock on the door; telling them their time was finally up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

Maria was staring at the coin from Alex on the train ride to her new home for the next few weeks. It was slowly sinking in what was coming and even though it was only an hour that she had left her district, she already missed it and her family. Knowing that it just would be getting worse, she tried to keep her mind from wandering to the people she loved the most. She had to be strong and confident or everyone would see her as an easy target.

" Hey Maria wasn´t it? Can I sit with you?".

Maria glanced up at hearing the question and she was stunned when she saw Max Evans standing in front of her and smiling at her. " Yeah".

Max plopped down opposite her and appeared like they were on a school trip rather than the last ride to their sure deaths. His mood wasn´t too bright, but he wasn´t so depressed like the rest of the people around them. It was like he was on some other plane of existence than them. " Are you nervous as well?".

" Yeah".

Max stared at her and he wondered what her deal was. The few times he had seen her in school, she was always talking and joking around with the Whitman boy, but this girl sitting in front of him wasn´t like that at all. He knew this situation wasn´t ideal and what they were about to face was anything but normal, but that didn´t mean they had to be all gloom and doom. " Not much of a conversationalist, are you?".

Maria gave him her best – leave me alone – look. " Hey, we´re about to be shipped to a place were we got trained to kill people and if we have tough luck we´ll get send right to our deaths, so sorry if I´m not in the mood to share my happiness with you".

" Woah kitten. Put your claws back; I was just trying to make conversation", Max put his hands up to show her that he didn´t mean any harm. He had been just trying to be nice and she had seemed like a person he could easily talk to. He didn´t know that she was so nasty.

Maria rubbed her face and sighed in annoyance at herself. She wasn´t usually so bitchy and she already felt bad for blowing up at him. He had just asked her a few questions, nothing that would deserve her behavior at all. " Sorry, don´t listen to anything I´m saying right now".

Max nodded in understanding. They were all a little on edge right now, with the Selection and the not knowing what would happen thing. " I get it; I saw some of the other chosen from the other districts and they weren´t very nice either. I think it´s the nerves".

" Or maybe their always so nasty", Maria managed a small smile at that. She had taken a good look at the people she had to compete with and she hadn´t liked what she saw. There were guys who seemed to be older than allowed and appeared to be really buff. And then she spied a few girls that looked like a slight wind could blow them over; which didn´t mean they weren´t a force to be recommended with.

Max was glad that she decided to put her dark emotions in the back corner and use it on someone that really deserved her mean remarks more than him. " Could be; they looked kinda bitchy".

Maria chuckled at his words; she wouldn´t have guessed that the quiet guy she had crossed path with a few times in school could be so witty. It was like she was seeing him for the first time and she liked what she saw so far. " You´re telling me; why do you think I choose this place?".

" Maybe because you wanted to cry alone?", he had noticed her staring at something and her eyes had looked so sad that he thought she was hiding from anyone else to shed a few tears, which would be totally understandable.

Maria shook her head while she made sure that no one was close enough to hear her. No need to make enemies so early in the game. " No, because I was sure that I would kick some asses if I had to listen to them any longer"

Max laughed out loud, which draw some attention to him, but he didn´t care about that. It didn´t matter what they were thinking about him anyway. A few weeks top and he would never have to see some of those ugly faces again. " I like you; you have balls".

" Well thanks….I guess", Maria wasn´t sure if she just got insulted or not; but she gave him the benefit of the doubt, because he said he liked her and he appeared like a really great guy. Besides, it wouldn´t hurt to have someone at her side.

Max glanced around and his eyes landed on two girls coming their way and he felt a faint flush on his cheek appearing. Elizabeth Parker had been his crush for so long and she had never noticed that he even existed, even though he had often eaten at her parents little café. Now he may never get the chance to make a move and tell her his feelings.

Maria noticed the strange behavior and she followed his gaze. " So which one of them get´s you hot and bothered?".

" What?", Max whirled around and tried to get his heating face under control. That was so not happening right now. But usually when Liz was near, he was acting like a hormonal teenager with the intelligence of a tea cup, not like a normal teenager with a higher IQ than most of the people around him.

Maria thought the blushing act was kinda cute and fitted the guy like a glove, getting all shy, because of a girl. She never had such feelings towards someone and that wasn´t just because of her two very overprotective brothers and a father that would probably rather shoot first and then asking questions later. She just never met anyone that held her interest in that way. " I think it´s sweet. So who is it? The Blonde or the brunette?".

Max slightly squirmed in his seat. " The brunette".

" Nice choice, she´s a cutie".

In that moment the girls were stopping besides them and looked between the two. It was very obvious that the blonde one was the spokesman and was doing the talking. " Are those seats taken or can we join you? Those jerks are so stupid".

Maria was amused about the weird hand gestures the girl made; it was usually one of her trademark things. Alex was always teasing her about her habit to talk more with her body than with her mouth. He usually said that even deaf people could understand what she was saying. " Take a seat; we´re the jerk-free zone".

" Oh thank you; one more comment about my ass and I would have kicked theirs", the blonde girl instantly and very ungracefully jumped in the seat besides Maria while her quiet friend was taking the other besides Max.

Maria had to keep her laughter in. She liked the blonde already and it was weird, because she usually didn´t get along with girls; it was the whole checking each other up thing and trying to find something to pick on that was turning her off. But it didn´t appear like that with those two." Join the club".

The blonde girl was instantly turning her whole attention to the new friend besides her and held her hand out to her. " Hi my name is Laurie Dupree".

" Maria Deluca", she took the offered hand and shook it before pointing to the other side with her head." And this is Max Evans".

Laurie glanced at the guy that was trying not to stare too much at the girl sitting at his side and she had to repress her smile at the picture. She would never understand why some people were so reserved when it came to the other gender. " So Max, I have a feeling you know Liz?".

Max´s unease was growing even more and the coloring on his face was going from red to very deep red in a matter of seconds. Great, just what he needed to make his crush finally notice him. It was bad enough when Maria teased him when they were alone, but Laurie was even worse. " We´re going to the same school".

" Aha that explains it then; I drool when I see people from my school as well", Laurie snickered when she realized that not only Max was effected from the little banter; Liz was also blushing and trying to hide it behind her long hair.

Maria was really entertained, but she also felt for Max. He was probably two seconds away from jumping up and running from them; it wasn´t very nice to pick on him, especially when the object of his affection was close by. " Maybe it´s better we talk about something else", seeing the grateful look from Max, she smiled at him. " Which District are you from?".

Laurie would have loved to go on with her teasing, but she didn´t want to hurt anyone's feelings and she knew that it would happen sooner or later, so she dropped the subject and focused on the other girl instead. " The Tucson District. And you?".

" She´s from the Roswell District. Everyone is already talking about her and her Samaritan act".

Maria turned to the nasty voice and she was stunned to see a guy about her age staring her down with his grey eyes. His face was showing a mix between disgust and boredom, which was strange, because she didn´t know him at all. " Have we met?".

The guy sneered at her and it was twisting his face into an ugly mask. " Thank god no" and before anyone could say something he was turning around and walked away.

" Geez, what´s his deal?", Maria felt slightly uncomfortable. She hadn´t even spoken to the creep and he was already hating her guts. Boy, what a great way to start this whole trip and they hadn´t even begun their training.

Max watched him retreating and he shook his head. There wasn´t much contact between the Districts and the people living in them. Every District was keeping its distance from the other and it was very unusual to know anyone outside their own people; but he had watched the Selection from the other chosen on the tv screen in the train compartment in the front before coming here. " He´s from the Copper Summit District".

Maria nodded in understanding. The Copper Summit District was known for his ruthless and rude residents. Most of the winner from the Fighting Games came from there and it was not very hard to see why. It was easy to kill people if you didn´t have a heart or any emotion at all. " Ahh, I see. He´s one of them then".

" Did you see the others from there; I tell you some of them don´t even look human", Laurie whispered not so quietly, which earned her a few dirty looks from the girls and boys from the mentioned district.

Max snickered at that; he had thought the same when he saw the bunch from the Copper Summit District. Some of the guys he had caught sight of had been looking like they were older than the required age and some appeared like trained robots with their emotionless eyes. " Exactly my thought".

Maria managed a small smile while she tried to figure out why the guy from earlier and a blonde girl with him were staring at her like she kicked their puppy on the street right in front of an oncoming vehicle. She didn´t know them and they didn´t know her, but apparently she had done something to piss them off. " What is wrong with these people? Why are they glaring at me like I´m the antichrist?".

" They´re just pissed at you for your selfless act in front of the whole nation", Liz spoke for the first time.

Maria didn´t exactly understood the reason behind it. Why did her reasonable notion to volunteer for her brother evoke such a strong dislike? She hadn´t insulted anyone or did something to hurt anyone else. And yet she noticed that those two weren´t the only ones giving her strange looks. What was up with these idiots? They were all in the same boat and should be afraid or angry. " What? Why?".

Liz shifted her body so that she was closer to the other girl and brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She had read a lot about the Fighting Games and knew what was lying ahead of them. " Sponsors. You need them to survive in the arena. Most of the people here think you will be high on their list, because of your memorable action and the dramatic performance. The aliens love nothing more than a good show".

" I wasn´t doing that for show and I don´t care about sponsors. I just wanted to protect my little brother", Maria snapped irritated. How dare these stupid morons for thinking that about her. Just because they didn´t possess any human traits, didn´t mean that everyone was like them.

Liz shrank back from the outburst and noticed that the whole wagon had heard it as well. People were staring at them and some even whispered to their neighbors behind their was becoming apparent that everyone was talking or watching them. " I believe you, but it doesn´t matter to those idiots. They just see you as an obstacle to win the favor of the sponsor".

Maria rubbed her face in frustration. She just wanted to keep in the background for the duration of her stay at the training center and hope that no one paid any close attention to her. It hadn´t been the best plan, but it had been a plan at all. But it seemed like it went straight to hell now and all she could do was to show them that she wasn´t one to mess with. " Great, a few hours in the game and I´m already the main target. Freaking fantastic".

" It could be worse. You could be like him", Laurie pointed to a guy, who was sitting far in the back. His face was hidding behind his crossed arms, but it was very obvious that he was crying. The shaking of his shoulders was a dead giveaway.

Maria felt bad for him, because he was just doing what everyone was secretly wanting to do as well. This trip wasn´t for fun and wouldn´t end with laughter. They were about to embark into an unknown adventure; well not exactly unknown, but still virgin territory for them and it was scary and frightening. " Maybe he´s doing the only sane thing right now".

Max shook his head. Every little weakness would instantly exploided with these people and he knew that the guy would be an easy victim. He had seen the chosen from the Copper Summit District eyeing him like vultures. It was just a matter of time before they would strike and it wouldn´t be pretty. " Believe me; he´s worm food and probably the first to fail".

" Oh Max, I didn´t know you could be this cold", Maria was slightly impressed about his words, not that it was a very nice thing to say, but it didn't seem like the guy had a mean bone in his body. Obviously she had been wrong about it.

Max shut his mouth; it wasn´t like he told a lie, but he wasn´t so calculated. He was always so considerate of other people´s feelings that he usually was the one on the end of the shitty stick. No one had ever cared about him or about his feelings. But now he had to take on another persona and be someone who stood up for himself, not caring about anyone else. " Just telling the truth".

Liz gave him a sideway glance and she was shocked. She didn´t know him like that; he had always been so well behaved and shy when she saw him. She had wished that he would find the courage to ask her out sometimes. " Maybe he´s fooling anyone with it. He doesn´t look that delicate".

" Could be", Maria had noticed that he wasn´t as buff as most of the guys from the Copper Summit District, but he didn´t appear like he was weak either. His shirt was tightly stretched over his upper arms and his back was broad and strong.

Max took a closer look and was about to reply something when the train came to a screeching halt. Everyone was gripping something in order to keep from falling forward. In his case Liz was digging her fingers in his thigh. His eyes got really big when he realized what the contact was evoking in his body and his ears turned a nice shade of red.

Liz meanwhile had slightly calmed down after the heart stopping moment and finally noticed what she was doing. Instantly she put her hand away and smiled shyly at the guy besides her. " Sorry about that".

" It´s okay; nothing hurt", Max tried to shift his position without anyone noticing it to hide his obvious problem. Unfortunately he wasn´t able to pull it off and he saw the two blondes opposite him smirking in his direction. He glared at them, daring them to say anything.

Maria tried to keep her mirth down before she turned to the window. With surprise she realized that they finally made it to their destination. The training center was a huge building mostly made out of glass. It was looking very expensive and breakable. She had only seen in on their little tv and she had to crane her neck to an impossible angle to see the top. " Guys we´re here".

Immediately Laurie, Max and Liz were flattening their noses on the window and checked out their accommodation for the next few weeks; whistling low at the impressive structure. It wasn´t like they came from poor Districts, but their houses or any other buildings they saw in their lives had never looked like that.

" Everyone out", Peacekeepers were coming from every corner and motioned for all the chosen to move it.

Maria rolled her eyes at the three other people with her before she stood up to follow the throng outside. She tried to keep a little in the back; no need to provide those idiots with a target, which was probably blinking on her back already. Trailing after everyone else, she noticed that the guy from earlier was furiously wiping his eyes and kept his head down. A small part of her was feeling sorry for him and when he looked up to glance at her, she gave him a tiny smile, which he returned timidly.

" So is this part of your plan? Check out the competition and exploit their weaknesses, in his case his raging male hormones", Laurie nudged her new friends shoulder with her own to make it obvious that she was just teasing.

Maria snorted in mock offense and threw her long hair over her shoulder like she saw some of the girls back home were doing it when they were clearly offended. " I don´t know what you´re talking about. It´s not my fault everyone thinks I´m hot".

Laurie was stunned into silence for a few seconds, not sure how to take the act, but as soon as she noticed the mirth in the other girl's eyes, she knew that it had been just for show. Bursting into laughter, she was glad that not everyone here was such a drag. " I really like you".

" You´re not so bad either…..", Maria was stopped from continuing her sentence when she collided with something solid and lost her balance. Before she however crashed on the ground strong arms were keeping her upright. For a moment she was confused and irritated. Looking up she almost swallowed her tongue when she glanced in the most intense brown eyes she had ever seen. " Ooops".

The guy belonging to the amazing amber pools straightened her and gave her an annoyed look. Releasing her, he crossed his arms over his chest and the fabric of his black shirt stretched over his bulging biceps. His gaze was intent on her and it wasn´t very friendly either. " Can´t you watch where you´re going?".

Maria had admired his body and those damn kissable lips, imagining doing things to him that would make even Satan blush, when she heard his words, which snapped her right back out of her fantasy. He was freaking hot, as long as he kept his mouth shut. " Excuse me? You could have kept your eyes open as well".

" I have to look out for everyone, so I can´t keep track of dumb blondes who can´t walk and talk at the same time".

Maria was speechless for about two seconds before her green eyes flashed dangerously at him. How dare this walking advertisement for birth control talk to her like that? She wasn´t just a dumb blonde and she wouldn´t let someone with the intelligence of a potato treat her like that; not when she wasn´t so sure if she would ever have the chance to regret it. " Listen pally; I don´t know who you think you are, but I don´t like your attitude. So if you don´t want my foot to get well acquainted with your rear end, I suggest you apologize for your rude behavior".

The guy was smirking at her; making it very apparent that he didn´t take her very seriously. Bending closer to her, he stared her down. " I wanna see you try, blondie".

" I´ll kick your…..", Maria was for the second time hindered to finish a sentence. Hands were grabbing her and pulling her away, making it impossible for her to go really through with her threat. But it didn´t stop her from making a motion with her hand that said she was keeping an eye on him. Even from afar she could hear his laughter. " This is not finished".

" Let it go", the voice from Max was sounding behind her; slightly amused and partly commanding.

Maria wriggled her way out of his grip and then stomped angrily inside the building. She hated when people were interfering in her business. She didn´t need anyone fighting her battles and especially not with a guy that she could have easily taken down. " You had no right to do that".

Max acted like he hadn´t heard her and made his way towards the four other people from the Roswell District. It seemed like every District was being herded into groups and pushed in different directions. So he followed after Liz´ backside and into some strange room, which smelled like something fruity and was kept in beige colors. There were no furniture or other things, just bare windows and a few lights.

" Anyone else feeling like we´re about to get tested for sanity?", Maria had an uneasy reaction to this room and it was making her uncomfortable. Her gut was telling her to be on guard while her head was trying to take in every little detail around her, in case someone decided to jump out of some hidden door and check their reflexes or something.

Liz almost cracked a smile, but the fear of the unknown had her stomach in knots and she was really nervous what would happen in the next few minutes. " How can you still make jokes?"

Maria had to treat this whole thing as a joke or else she would start freaking out, which meant someone would lose a limb or two. Maybe she would look for the jerk from earlier and make her threat a reality; that would make her day. " A gift".

" Okay people listen good, because I won´t repeat myself", the door to the room was getting closed and a young man was walking in the middle, just in eyesight of everyone else. " My name is Rath and I will be your instructor for the weeks you´re here".

Maria groaned; just her luck that the idiot from earlier was the guy that was supposed to make her stronger. Was it some kind of evil plan from her karma to remind her that all of her actions had consequences? Was it punishment for all the recklessness?

Rath made a face when his eyes landed on the blonde, who had walked into him at the entrance. He should have known that he would see her again, even though he had hoped not so soon. But apparently his karma decided to make his life a whole lot shittier. " You´ve got something to say?".

" To you? Nope. But I wouldn´t mind hearing an apology from you".

Rath strode closer to her and the glint from their first encounter was getting scarier. He noted with satisfaction that the others were obviously smarter than the girl and stepped back from his advance. There was always one challenging him, but for the first time he was stunned that it was not one of the guys. " An apology? Are you kidding me?".

Maria gave him her best Ice Queen look, one she had mastered over a long time and made most boys in her school run for the hills, knowing it would get ugly really fast. Unfortunately it didn´t seem to work on her instructor, who was still appearing more than ticked off with her. " You were rude, even though I didn´t give you any reason to. The least you could do is apologizing for offending me".

" Listen princess, I´m not here to cuddle you, I´m here to make sure that you have a freaking chance in the arena and if I have to be fucking rude in the process so be it. You have to get used to it, because I was even really nice so far, so don´t piss me off. You don´t want to see me really nasty", Rath was so close to her that he could hear her heartbeat that had tripled in the last few seconds and could smell the fresh scent that clung to her.

Maria however didn´t back down, even though he was making her slightly afraid with his burning gaze, drilling into her like with its intensity. Another part was getting aroused from his alpha male outburst and she wondered what was wrong with her. She had never reacted to someone else that way and it was irritating her. " Ditto".

Rath had to admire her spunk and some part of his anatomy was stirring at the fire in her green eyes. No one had ever challenged him so early in the game; usually everyone was cowering from him as soon as he stepped in the room. He had enjoyed those moments when he noticed that he had so much power over them. But not this one; she wasn´t feeling threatened by him and as much as he wanted to deny it, he liked it, which annoyed him to no end. " Ditto?".

" Yes ditto. You´re maybe our Instructor and maybe you´re used to everyone listening to you, but I don´t like to get pushed around. You want to help us surviving in the arena? Fine, do that. But don´t you dare disrespect me or anyone else with your behavior. We´re not here on our free will, this was forced on us, so the least you can do is show some respect towards us"

Everyone else was holding their breath while they were waiting for the reaction from their Instructor. They didn´t know what to do or where to look. Everything could happen and they weren´t sure if they were even safe where they are. Some even stepped back a little to avoid any injuries in case of an angry eruption.

Rath kept a straight face for a moment, not even reacting to the rising tension in the room and the held breath from the other chosen. Then a small smile was appearing and he relaxed his stance. " Okay".

" Okay? That´s all you´ve got to say?", Maria had expected something else entirely and this acceptance was rather startling to her. Not that she wanted to get into a pissing contest with him or anything, but this reaction was pretty disappointing.

Rath only gave her his famous smirk before he turned around and walked away from her. No need to get into a fight with her this early; there was plenty of time to make her regret this little conversation over and over again. " Alright folks, now that this is out of the way, I want you to follow me. I´ll show you around".

The two little tykes and the older guy were instantly marching after him. Liz, Max and Maria remained behind for a few seconds. They were a little blown by the verbal boxing match.

" Are you okay?".

Maria stared at Max after he asked her that and she still wasn´t able to close her mouth. She didn´t know what was worse, that he let her win or that this little smirk had made her imagination run wild with possibilities of having him train her in the nude. " Did this really just happen?".

Liz couldn´t believe it, even though she had seen it with her own eyes. That girl had a death wish and was usually the kind of person she tried to avoid; but this time it was different. She was sure that the reaction had just been out of fear and not to provoke a fight. " Yeah. I´m sure you will have to suffer for this".

" I was afraid of that", Maria groaned before she made her way out of the room. She didn´t need another reason to butt head with their Instructor. She was already in deep shit with him, no need to add fuel to the fire.

Max shook his head at her back in amusement. That was the girl he had met a few years ago, full of spunk and not able to keep out of trouble. " These weeks will be anything but boring".

Liz glanced at him like he had grown another head; even though the same thought had gone through her head as well. There would be probably more times Maria would clash against their instructor in a not so friendly way. " There´s nothing against boring once in a while"

" Yeah fat chance of that happening with her around".

Liz made a face at him before she finally followed after the others. All she ever wanted was a relative normal, quite life with a normal guy in the near future and hopefully a few kids down the road. But no, her destiny had obviously other plans with her.

Max tailed after her and he noticed her distraught state, instantly realizing what she was thinking about. He had pondered over the same over and over again. Despite his rather upbeat appearance, he was probably just as worried as everyone else about all this, but he knew that this would happen if he wanted or not and so he thought he would make the most of it.

" Hey guys, you won´t believe it. We all have to share the same room. Say goodbye to any privacy", Maria didn't mention the size of the room. The space was huge and there were two bathrooms, one for the girls and one for the boys.

Max and Liz immediately went into their sleeping quarters, almost fearing the worst. Tight space, just a few sleeping bags or maybe nothing, but the sight that greeted them was anything but that. The room was really big and everyone had a nice, comfy looking bed. The south front was completely made out of windows and suffused everything with light from the outside. The covers were looking rather made from expensive stuff and held in the same beige color like with whole decoration and the color of the walls.

Maria wasn´t exactly impressed about the size or the expensive décor; the only thing she saw was a prison where she had to spend the last weeks of her life. She hadn´t been in this place for more than hour and she already missed her family. How would she survive the rest of her time here?

" Oh look; a plasma tv", Max instantly turned it on and started channel surfing. With all the time learning and trying to just get through the day, he didn´t have enough time to watch TV; even though it wasn´t much to see aside from alien shows and here and there some older shows before the aliens landed.

Liz and Maria exchanged amused glances before they joined him. If they had to endure all this time here, they would at least enjoy it as much as possible. Although Max was in possession of the remote, in no time they was a small battle about it, with the girls using every dirty trick they knew.

The other three were not so relaxed and were watching the exchange with a mix between amusement and fear; not really knowing how they should find this strange behavior.

" Okay guys, remember, this is not a vacation. I wan to see you down at the gym every morning exactly on 07.00 am. And I mean exactly on time. Anyone coming later and they have to bear the consequences", Rath gave a pointed glance at Maria, daring her to say something. But when he noticed that she wasn´t even paying attention to him, he turned around and walked away.

Maria had felt his gaze on her and she had to fight the grin that wanted to appear on her face. She couldn´t wait what the next few weeks would bring.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey sonia62, Michael is already there. But it will take a while for him to reveal himself.**

**Chapter 2**

Rath was standing in the training room and prepared everything for the new recruits. For four years he was doing that and every time he felt like he was bringing the pigs to the slaughterhouse. Every year he lost two people to this awful game; two lives that were over before it had even begun and he couldn´t do anything against it.

He knew what the chosen had to endure; seven years ago he went through the same thing. He was one of the youngest to win the Fighting Games. He had only been thirteen when he got picked out and had been thrown in the arena fighting for his life.

It wasn´t just the physical aspect of the fighting that was a struggle for most of the participants, it was the psychical that was weighting them down. You can learn to survive in a battle, that´s no big deal. But what they don´t teach is the guilt that is telling you everyday for the rest of your life that you took someone´s life.

Even though you know it was in self-defense, you still feel guilty for killing those people, good or bad didn´t matter. You mourned every lost life; remembered every face you stared at before they died and heard every last breath they had done. Some days it was better; some days you were able to forget for a few moments what you have done; but most days it was all he could think about.

" Dude, you´re always so freaking early. Can´t you sleep like the rest of us?".

Rath glanced up at the voice and he smiled at the person walking towards him. She had won the game two years ago and even though he caught a look of sadness in her eyes here and there, she was one of the few that wasn´t so messed up like the rest of them. " Only the early bird gets the worm Isabel".

Isabel pulled her long blonde mane into a ponytail and tried to stifle a yawn. She thought that she should be used to getting up before dawn, but no matter how many time flew by, she was still bone-tired in the morning. " It´s too freaking early for your wisecracks, oh great one".

" Get your cute little behind in gear and be useful. The recruits should be here any minute", Rath shook his head at her. She was one of the few people he trusted completely and she was the only one who really knew who he was. But she was also a real pain in his butt.

Isabel grinned at his command and gave him a small salute before disappearing in the equipment storage room.

Rath had to repress the laugh that wanted to erupt from him when he heard footsteps coming closer. Putting on his instructor face, he scanned the area to make sure everything was set for the first lesson and then turned to the door. As soon as he saw the first two entering, he knew that it would be a long day. " Nice of you to join me. I hope you got enough sleep; because I won´t be doing any exceptions".

" Great; just what I want first thing in the morning; a lecture from Mr. Wannabe Badass", Maria hadn´t gotten enough rest the night before, because the two youngest had been scared to fall asleep and she had spent hours telling them a story until their eyes closed. Now she was sleep deprived and slightly cranky.

Rath groaned in annoyance. The first day and he was already close to strangle someone; that was a first one for him. It usually took a week or more to tick him off. But this blonde one was really starting to test his patience; which he didn´t have enough of. " Okay guys; I think we need a few rules. One, you´re always on time and don´t try to feed me any bullshit. Two you do what I say without running a commentary in the background", which he empathized with a hard stare in Maria´s direction. " And third, I know what I´m doing and if you have a problem with my methods, you´re free to butt out of the training session; but don´t expect any sympathy from me when you go into the arena unprepared".

Everyone nodded at his words and then they simultaneously turned to Maria; waiting for any witty comeback from her. As soon as she noticed the attention, she glared at everyone. " What?".

" Alright; if that´s settled I want you to run a few rounds outside for warm up", Rath clapped his hands in amusement. This was always the fun part; seeing their endurance during the twenty laps he would let them do. He was curios how far the mouthy blonde would come or how long it would take her to give up.

Liz looked a little frightened at the prospect of exercise; she wasn´t really good with anything physical and her stamina was really bad. Aside from walking from booth to booth and carrying a tray, she wasn´t doing anything that would qualify as keeping in shape. " How long do we have to run?".

Rath had to keep his mirth back when he saw the fearful expression from the tributes. " Until I say you can stop".

" Don´t worry; I will carry you when you´re not able to carry on alone", Max offered shyly; the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

Maria rolled her eyes at the two before she took the hands of Mason and Zoey to guide them outside. She had decided last night to keep them under her wing during this whole stay and she would stick to it, even though it was just a little run. " Come on you two. We´ll show our instructor what we are made of".

Rath watched them go and he was stunned about her change of character. The day before she had acted like a snobby girl that was used to get what she wanted or didn´t care about anyone else but herself. But this side of her was intrigued and noteworthy. Maybe he should keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn´t playing them all.

" So I see you have already found your next victim".

Rath didn´t even flinch when he heard the voice; Isabel was stealthy like that, but he was always on guard and could hear a squirrel farting from ten miles. " Yeah there´s always one smartass in the bunch. This time however it´s a girl".

Isabel eyed him really hard and for the first time she saw something that she hadn´t seen in him. Usually he had two expression; bored or angry. Either he was indifferent to everything or he was pissed off, but what she saw was confusion. " A beautiful girl?".

" What?", Rath turned to her and gave her one of his famous –are you kidding me- look. He didn´t think like that about the chosen; even though Maria had the most amazing green eyes and the most kissable lips he had ever seen, not to mention her killer body. " I don´t acknowledge the appearance".

Isabel grinned at his slightly flustered state and nodded. " Liar", she called when she went towards the outside trainings ground.

Rath instantly followed after her and protested loudly about her statement. Girls like Maria were so not his type; he wasn´t so into high maintenance chicks that just cared about their looks and what clothes they would wear to what occasion. He liked his women more down to earth.

" Looks like you´re protesting too much", Isabel was glad to see that someone else aside from her was getting under his skin. It was about time that he was shedding the armor around his heart and start living again.

Rath glared at her while he thought about her statement; wondering what she was smoking these days. There was no way that he was attracted to the bubblehead; especially not so fast. He didn't do the whole romance thing and he didn´t believe in love at first sight. It was all just bogus and just something to keep the women entertained. " Think whatever you want; I´m not into her or anyone".

Isabel smiled at him; knowing better what was really going on. But she knew that the more she pushed, the more he would deny it, so she chose to be the smart one and didn´t say anything. Turning to the little group, her eyes instantly went to the blonde one, looking like she had a rough night. " Alright folks, my name is Isabel and I´m the other instructor. If you have any questions or problems you can always come to me. Contrary to my partner I believe in positive reinforcement. So if you need any help just ask me".

" You´re only make them weak; they have to learn not to depend on others. Don´t listen to her, she´s had too much hits to the head", Rath was like always in awe how Isabel could still hold onto her humanity after all she had been through. She was bitchy and could be commanding, but underneath all that was a pretty nice person. Contrary to him; which was confirmed when he turned his attention to the group and started barking. " What are you waiting for? A written invitation? Start running!".

Immediately everyone got in gear; even the mouthy one. Isabel was impressed how fast they were gone just with a little bit steel in the voice. " You know, someday we´re swapping places. I´m the bad cop and you´re the good cop".

Rath glanced at her like she just grew a second head and was spitting fire from her nostrils; like he would ever be that sensitive. He was okay with the way his life was going at this point. No attachment meant no one to worry about, which meant the aliens had nothing to hold over his head like they did with most of the victors from the games. " Oh Isabel; always so optimistic that I will change".

" Believe me, one day I will be the one to tell you, I told you so", Isabel patted his arm before she went to stand at a better place. She wanted to have a front seat when the first one was calling it quits and Rath was starting one of his angry fits about not giving up.

**One the running track**

Maria was moving at a moderate pace, knowing that it wouldn´t do her any good to begin too fast. She wanted to save her energy for the last round. The older boy from their district was leading the little group with quick strides, closely followed by Max and Liz, who seemed to be intended to keep close to him in case her legs would give up on her. She and the two little ones were the tail light. The crisp morning air was like remedy for her sleep deprived body and she tried to enjoy the cool breeze against her heating skin.

She had always loved to run a few rounds at home to keep her head clear and to keep herself from lashing out in violence against one of the peacekeepers. Her father had give her the advice to try exercise for her anger instead of raving and ranting at things that she couldn´t change.

Thinking about her father brought her back to her family and she wondered how they had endured the first night without her. Did they miss her as much as she missed them? Had her mother even gotten a few hours of shuteye at all? Had her father tried to calm her down and told her that everything would be alright? Had Theo stopped feeling guilty? So many questions in her head and she had no way of knowing it. They weren´t supposed to have contact with their families until the last Selection of the two candidates for the games.

" How long do we still have to endure this torture", Liz was sounding breathless and she looked like she wouldn´t make it much longer.

Meanwhile Max didn´t appear like it was a strain for him. He was used to any kind of exercise and this felt like one of his morning jogs. He could go one forever if he had to. " I believe until the firsts drops from exhaustion".

Liz was relieved; it wouldn´t take that long at all, because she was sure that she would fall over any second now. All this running was giving her cramps and she wasn´t used to that kind of cramps. It was feeling like all nerves in her legs were getting pulled out of her flesh and it wasn´t pleasant at all. " Thank god".

" What….", Max wasn´t even able to finish his sentence when Liz just keeled over and she was beating on her right leg; her face twisted in pain. Ignoring his first instinct to keep going before their instructor would be blowing up at him for giving in; he stopped and went to her side to help her.

Maria gave them both a sympathetic look while she ran past; the two youngest hot on her trail; even though it appeared like it wouldn´t stay like that for any longer. Their feet weren´t used to that kind of training and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the pain. Josh the other contestant seemed to have no trouble at all with the task and was running without a care in the world.

Rath watched over the rest; even though he had spared a quick glance at the two eliminated chosen at the sidelines. He had quickly discarded them both as unfit for the arena; the girl was too weak and probably grew up in a safe environment; she would have no real chance against anyone else. The guy was fit and seemed to be strong, but his caring nature would get him killed really fast.

Turning his gaze to the other four, he was stunned when he saw the blonde was still holding on. She seemed to slow down to keep the two little ones at her sides. She was eyeing them every few seconds, not even making an attempt to catch up to the other one. He was puzzled over her; at first he had thought she was a snob and a bitch; then she was being so caring with the two youngest and now he saw her determination to not give up. She was like an enigma for him and he usually was an expert of people and could really read them in seconds.

" So you don´t have the hots for the girl, he?".

Rath was tempted to stomp his foot and roll his eyes and scream; but it would just lead to Isabel thinking she was right and that wasn´t the case. He didn´t have the hots for anyone. He was just slightly intrigued with the girl; wondering if she was playing a game or if she was really like that. " Izzy; shut up".

Isabel grinned in amusement. He was so easy to tick off and she loved to tease him. He was usually so antisocial and it was nice to see that he was human after all. " I love it when you talk dirty to me", before he could reply she was walking away from him.

" One day girl; one day I´m gonna blast your ass to kingdom come".

Maria was so focused on keeping an eye on the little ones that she almost missed Josh, who was lying in her way. He had just dropped right on the spot; his shirt drenched in his sweat and his breathe labored. Jumping over his frame, she realized there were just her and the two tykes in the game.

Suddenly Zoey stopped and tears were streaming down her face. " My feet hurt" and with that she went to the sideline to Max and Liz, where she slumped down.

" It looks like it´s just the two of us now", Maria smiled at the boy while she took his hand. She had a soft spot for him, because he was reminding her so much about her little brother. She wanted him to toughen up just in case he would get chosen and was intended to pull him through all this.

Mason shook his head at her. He was so tired and he wanted to just rest his feet. For once in his life, he wanted to go to bed and stay there without any complaints. He missed his family and his home and he just wanted to go home. " I can´t any longer".

Maria´s heart went out to him and she saw the same sadness in his face the last time she had glimpsed at Theo. Making a quick decision; she made a hasty break and pulled the little cookie on her back. " Hold on tight onto me", then she continued her run.

" She´s good", Isabel hadn´t heard Rath approach her, but she knew he was there.

Rath was in awe of her. Even with the added weight of the little body on her back she was still running lap for lap. He wondered how long she would endure; probably as long as he didn´t say otherwise, just to spite him. She wanted to prove something to him and just for that he wanted to let her go on until the sun would be going down or until she would give up freely. " It´s the first day; I wouldn´t interpret too much into it".

Isabel shook her head at his grumpiness. She was used to his prickly character by now, but she also knew that it was just a front most of the time. She saw deep sadness in his gaze sometimes and she wondered how much he was holding back to appear so cold. " Whatever you say", stepping closer to the running track, she motioned for the girl to finally stop. " Well done people. Your first assignment is over. We´ll meet in ten minutes in the mess hall for breakfast".

" You´re too nice. They will never respect you", Rath whispered to her when he passed her on the way inside.

Isabel rolled her eyes at his back. " That´s the reason why I have you", she hollered over her shoulder while she waited for the last chosen to come closer. As soon as the blonde slightly limped towards her, she fell in step with her. " You´re Maria right? The girl volunteering for her brother?"

Maria was tempted to reply something snappish. What was with these people? What she had done wasn´t that special or unusual; not to people with a heart. Everyone else in her place would have done it for their sibling. But all they saw in her was the person taking the place of her younger brother. " Yep, that's me".

" What you´ve done was very brave and pretty foolish, too", Isabel saw the video about the Selection in the Roswell District and she had a healthy respect for the girl. No one else had ever done something to selfless in all the years of the Fighting Games.

Maria secured her grip on Mason, who was still hanging on her back like a spider monkey and chuckled slightly at the words. Her Father had said something quite similar and it was reminding her about her family a bit. He was always scolding her for being reckless and too emotional. How was she to know that it would one day get in her in this mess? " Isabel, wasn´t it?", seeing the nod, she continued. " Do you have siblings?".

The other girl was shaking her head. Her parents hadn´t been able to conceive after her and the only relative she had, had been her cousin Pam. " No".

" Then you don´t know how it feels to watch the worst happening to the one person you love more than anything. I would do the same again for anyone I care about; that´s the kind of person I am".

Isabel admired the girl for her honesty and her feisty character. No wonder Rath couldn´t keep his eyes away from her. She was curious how long it would take him to give up his pretense of not being affected from the blonde one and give into his feelings. " It´s cool. I think it´s good that there are still people out there, who care about others. It´s not so common these days anymore", with that said she turned around and walked away.

Maria gave the girl a strange look before she followed everyone else into the mess hall, where all of the chosen were already seated and dug in their breakfast. Putting Mason on the ground, she took a tray for him and one for herself. " So big guy, what do you want?".

" Pancakes?".

Maria scanned the rest of food lying around and spotted one single pancake. Even though she wanted one herself, she went towards it and put it on Mason´s plate. That would probably not make his day, but at least it would get a smile on his face. " Okay, what else? Fruit?".

Mason scrunched his face up and it made him look even more adorable. " No fruit. Syrup. Maybe some scrambled eggs".

" Would you consider some fruit if I promise you a surprise?", Maria scooped some eggs on both of their plates and some bacon for her. She didn´t need to watch what she was eating with all the training they would do the next weeks.

Mason seemed to consider her offer for quite a while before he decided that he could trust her. " How much fruit? And what is the surprise?".

Maria smiled down at him. He was so much like her little brother it was scary. Theo hadn´t been so eager about healthy food either and it took a lot of persuasiveness in her side to take a few bites just to please their mother. " A few berries with your pancake. You can even dip them into syrup. And I´m not telling you the surprise".

" You´re not playing fair", Mason whined, but he couldn´t fight the excitement of a surprise. " Okay, I´ll eat some fruit".

Maria glanced down at their overfilled plates and then snatched two chocolate muffins; one for the little tyke and one for her. Thankfully Mason was not tall enough to see what she had put on their trays and so he already started to search for a place to sit. Maria instantly saw the unmistakable heads of Max and Liz. " Hey Mason, follow me".

Mason dutifully marched after her; his little feet dragging him at a slower pace and he had to jog to keep up with the longer legs of Maria. He was stunned that she was still able to walk after the miles she ran and with him as an extra weight on her back. She was like a superhero or something.

" So people, what did I miss?", Maria sat down after she made sure her surrogate brother was already seated and digging into his breakfast. She glanced at the other at the table and it was like they were all staring at her like she turned into an alien. " What?".

Max was the only one able to form a coherent thought after their run this morning. " How can you still walk? Shouldn't you be a little more wasted?".

Maria just shrugged her shoulders; it wasn´t her first time running over a long distance and it wasn´t like she had done a lot more straining. She had always liked the physical stuff, because it was something she could do without being afraid of doing any damage or break anything; well nothing important that was. " I´m just gifted that way; besides I´m used to the exercise. My best friend Alex is one of the fastest runners. I had to keep up with him".

" Oh yeah I think I know that guy. Sorta geekish and not much of a fighter", Josh spoke for the first time.

Maria turned her gaze on the other boy and for the first time she really looked at him. There was something familiar about him; not much of the appearance, but the voice. She had heard it before and she strained her brain to remember him. " Yes; how do you know him?".

Josh smirked at her; like he was thinking about something amusing and it was creepy as hell. Not that the guy appeared like a crazy person, but something at the way he stared at someone was a little bit on the strange side. " Just fleetingly from passing in school. You know he´s easy to overlook"

" Oh I get it; you´re one of the jackasses with no brain who always pushes him in his lockers. No wonder I couldn´t remember you, because I only notice people with more than two brain cells", Maria countered with a fake smile on her face.

Max and Liz instantly snickered, which Max tried to cover with a cough when he saw the deadly glare shot at him from Josh. Zoe and Mason were too busy with eating that they didn´t register the conversation between the Teens.

Josh hated to feel like the butt of a joke and when he realized the others were hiding their amusement he turned to Maria, who was still giving him that deceitful expression. Before he however could lift his hand to wipe that grin off of her face, her hand shot out and she put a knife right between his middle and ring finger. A quiet scream escaped him when he saw how close she had been to his skin. " What the hell? You could have hurt me!".

" If I would have wanted that, I would have done it", Maria stood up with her empty tray and went so close to him that he could see the gold fleck in her vivid green eyes. Even through the words were spoken quietly, the meaning behind it was very loud. " Consider this a warning. If you cross me or try to hurt anyone I care about, I will put the knife in your fucking body next time".

Rath was just finished with eating when he saw the strange exchange at the table where his protégées were sitting. His gaze was focused on the Maria girl and he wondered what her deal was. She had been so sweet with the little guy and her smile had been so beautiful; making her glow like the sun. Then he saw her demeanor change; the expression on her face didn´t match the language her body spoke. For a moment he thought it would get ugly and he had to step in. When he saw the tiny movement from the guy, he was sure that it was time to get in-between to prevent anyone from getting hurt and he was sure that it wouldn´t be Maria either. And then he witnessed her putting a knife in the table and for a tiny second he had stopped breathing, because he had been sure that she finally done it and injured the guy. But at closer looking he realized there was no blood and no gaping wound; just a shocked boy and I very pissed of female.

" Oh man, she will give us a run for our money", Isabel had watched the whole thing as well and she was getting the feeling that she finally found some new best friend.

Rath watched the girl walking away, acting like nothing had happened and he knew that he had to keep a closer eye to her. He just didn´t know if it was to protect her or to protect the others from her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Maria was on edge when she made her way to the training room. She tried to calm down with the breathing technique her father had showed her. Unfortunately it wasn´t working this time and she started pacing from side to side. Flexing her hands, she made an attempt to relieve some of the tension in her body. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on something good. Thinking about her little brother and how much he believed in her to come back to them was finally doing the trick. But as soon as she opened her eyes, she noticed she wasn´t alone anymore. Rath was standing at the door and was staring at her with shock; well to be exact he was staring at something more in the lower region of her body. Following his gaze, she was two seconds from freaking out when she realized that her hands were crackling with energy. Hiding them behind her back, she tried to appear like she hadn´t been caught doing something weird.

" What are you doing here?".

Rath snapped out of the stupor and gazed at her face. The slight flush on her cheeks was adorable, but the guarded look in her eyes was making him worried. Shaking his head, he made an attempt of ordering his thoughts. " I could ask you the same. I´m the instructor, I´m supposed to be here. What´s your excuse?".

Maria was for moment surprised that he didn´t call her a freak or ran away screaming from her; the reaction would have been expected and normal. But instead he acted like he didn´t just see her doing something totally freakish. " I needed a second to calm down before I would have kicked that dickhead into next week".

" Yeah I saw that; care to explain that to me?", Rath had to bite down a smile at her words. Izzy was so right; that girl would give them really a run for their money.

Maria just shrugged. What was there to explain? She was very protective over the people she cared about and hated everyone not giving them the respect they deserved. That was just the kind of person she was and like her mother pointed out, would get her in a lot of trouble. " It was just a little heated discussion; nothing you have to worry about".

Rath wondered for the hundredths time what made her tick. She was changing personality within hours and he was curios which one was her real one. Not that her explosive character hadn´t been hot and her skill with the knife had been admirable, but he wasn´t so sure if she was just playing a game or if she was just that unpredictable. " I never worry".

" Sure you´re not; for that you need a personality", Maria replied with a roll of her eyes.

Rath had finally enough with the snide remarks in his direction and he stormed towards her. Stopping very close to her, he used his taller frame to intimidate her. His eyes were flashing dangerously at her and his jaw was working furiously under his skin. " I´ve had it with you and your disrespectful behavior".

Maria repressed her urge to step back from him and his towering height and glanced at him in defiance instead. She had been taught not to back down, no matter how hopeless the situation was and she would stick to it. " Disrespectful? Me? Are you kidding me? You´re the one that is disrespectful".

" Me? You´re the one constantly running your snarky comments in the background and pissing me off with it".

Maria glared at him while she tried unsuccessfully to compensate the height between them, which instead was just getting their bodies closer together. Sadly both of them didn´t notice it, too caught up in their heated emotions to realize it. " You started it! I was pretty quiet until you pissed me off with your rude attitude towards me".

Rath laughed out loud at her description. He could imagine her to be a lot of things, but quiet wasn´t one of them. She didn´t make an impression that she could be silent for more than a second. " Yeah like I believe that you could shut up for a moment. I know girls like you; I saw them going through training with tears and begging; just to get send home again. No one wants to see a princess getting slaughtered, not much entertainment when a chosen dies too quickly or annoys the audience with the constant whining".

" You think I´m a princess?", finally Maria had enough from him and she started poking his chest with her finger to emphasize her point. " You don´t know shit about me or my life! You don´t know girls like me, because I´m not like everyone else, jackass".

Rath felt the heat between them rising and he wasn´t sure if he should kiss her, put over his knee and spank her behind or slap her silly for her behavior. Taking her finger in his big hand, he felt an electric shock spreading through his arm. Glancing from their touching skin to her stormy eyes, he realized that she had noticed it as well. Pulling her closer, he was about to do something extremely stupid when he heard the others coming back from their breakfast break. Instantly he walked away from her.

Maria was sure her cheeks were blazing so much that she was probably glowing in the dark and her chest was heaving from the sexual tension. She had never felt such a reaction to a guy before and she was confused about how she acted. She was usually a really nice person, but she turned into a bitch as soon as he was in close proximity to her. Grasping her face, she desperately tried to cool down.

" Oh man Rath, you missed the best part".

Rath turned to Isabel and he hoped that she didn´t notice the pitched tent in his pants or his flushed face. He would never live that down. " What?".

Isabel saw his disheveled state, but didn´t even react to it or comment to it. It was finally time he was starting to get back in the game again and not live like a hermit anymore. " One guy from the copper summit district was saying something nasty about Maria and the blonde girl from the Tucson district was almost ripping him a new one. It was so hilarious".

" Too bad I missed it", Rath noticed from the corner of his eyes that Maria had turned her attention to the two youngest in their group, especially the little boy. She was like a riddle for him, one he wanted to figure out.

Maria had made sure the two kids had eaten up everything before she took their hands to reassure them that no matter what would happen next, she would be there by their side. They were scared and she just wanted to protect them. Glancing at her side, she smiled at Max and Liz while she noticed with satisfaction that Josh was eyeing her with a heavy dose of respect.

Isabel clapped her hands together to get anyone's attention. They weren´t here to stand around like a bunch of idiots; they were here to find out the fitness level of their chosen. " Alright folks; the fun part is over. Now we´re getting to the real juice".

" As you see we have a nice array of Fitness equipment. In order to know what we´re working with, we have to see how fit you are. The running we did outside was just a warm up and a test of endurance", Rath eyed every one of them and he was stunned when no one said anything, not even the mouthy one. And he was glad that for once, he didn´t get into a battle of wills with her. At least for now. " This part of the training is the real deal and will be harder and more painful for you. I will push you to your limits and when you think about giving up, I will push you harder. We´re not here to have a nice vacation; this is serious business and every little weakness could get you easily killed in the arena".

Maria swallowed visibly and her face paled at the words, but not because she feared the exercise or the fact that Rath would probably be on her ass more than anyone else's, no it was the fear of becoming someone else. At home her father only showed her things to defend herself; but here she would be trained to kill. It was a total different things and she was really scared to lose herself to the dark side. Okay, she was a rather emotional person and she was probably not the most peaceful, but kicking someone´s ass or killing it was something else entirely.

Mason glanced up at her when he noticed her grip on his hand tightening. She wasn´t hurting him that much, but it was starting to get uncomfortable. " Are you okay?".

" What?", Maria shook herself out of her dark thoughts and stared back at her young companion. Then she realized he asked her something. " Yeah I´m fine", noticing for the first time her rather strong grip, she loosened her hold on him. " sorry about that".

Max was about to open his mouth to make sure that she wasn´t freaking out, when Rath barked at them to get their ass moving. Instantly everyone got in gear and went to a unit that had been put around the room. Liz went to cardio glider and started pedaling. Josh made his way over to the punching bag while Max immediately headed for the rod for chin-ups. Maria took Zoey and Mason and walked with them to the mats. She didn´t know how strong their small bodies were and didn´t want to overwhelm them on the first day. So she started showing them the techniques of defense her father showed her; kicks that could knock anyone off their feet; punches that would blow out the lights from an opponent and evasive moves that would give them a little more time.

Rath was watching them all with disappointment and amusement. Each one of them would be in so much trouble if they had to get into the arena at this point and he knew that they had a lot of work to do. Josh and Max were strong, but uncoordinated and too dependent on their strength. Liz was a weakling and wouldn´t last a minute in a dire situation. The two children had no muscles, they were too small and those others would eat them up without flinching. And then there was Maria; she had fast reflexes and the moves she was showing were really good. Unfortunately she was so petite that anyone bigger than her would take her down in seconds. Besides, her caring nature would probably be in her way and get her killed before she could start fighting.

" Okay everybody. I think I get the picture", he called loudly to get anyone's attention. " I saw what I needed to see and let´s just say you all start at zero. The first thing we do is to put on muscles".

Isabel handed the smallest dumb bells to Zoey and Mason while she navigated Josh and Max to the benches. Liz was getting dumb bells as well only heavier and she had to do squats at the same time. Maria meanwhile had to sit on a machine and press the weight down just with her arms. For hours everyone had to lift weights, do some exercises on the floor and undergo every torture Rath could think about.

At the end of the training day Liz was so red faced and out of breath that it appeared like she was seconds away from throwing up or fainting. The clothes of Max and Josh were so soaked that they were dripping. Mason and Zoey were lying on the ground and cried in pain while Maria tried to sooth them. Rath had been relentless in his commands and as soon as any of them was about to stop his exercise he was right in front of the person and was screaming in his or her face. Liz and the two kids had to endure it more than the others and it resulted in a lot of tears and a bickering match between him and Maria.

They both weren't relenting in their opinions and it was amusing to see them like that. Even though Isabel was sure that her partner wouldn´t let himself get degraded in front of his little group, she saw that his argument didn´t have the usual fire that she was used from him. It was like he was enjoying these verbal quarrels with the girl.

"Guys, you´re all dismissed. See you bright and early tomorrow", Rath was glad that the first day was over. His mouth was dry from all the screaming and talking he had done. He was finished with using his vocal cords for this day.

Maria would have really liked to show him the bird; but her arms felt so heavy that she thought that she would never be able to lift them ever again; she wasn´t even in the position to carry her surrogate brother to their sleeping room. Everything was hurting and she was sure that it would be getting worse the next day.

On the way to their quarters the group met up with the other chosen. Apparently they were all finished with their training and were on their way to their rooms as well. Laurie was instantly at the side of her new friend. " Oh good; I thought we were the only ones getting tortured. But you look like I feel".

" Thanks; you don´t look too hot either missy", Maria quipped. Her mouth was thankfully the only part of her body that didn´t hurt when she moved it.

Laurie watched her reflection in the window to her right and she groaned when she saw her state. Her hair was wet and plastered to her flushed face. There were dark rings under her eyes and it made her appear sickly instead of the beauty she had been before. " Oh hell; I look like one from the Copper Summit District!".

Maria glanced over her shoulder when she heard a growl and she had to prevent a smile from appearing on her face as soon as she noticed that the freaks from the mentioned district were directly behind them. Luckily she wasn´t scared of them. " Nah, no one could look so bad like them. Maybe when you would get overrun from a train and wild animals would start eating you up…..nope. not even then".

" Careful Roswell; you don´t want to mess with us before the games start".

Maria gave the guy who had been so warm and welcoming on the train to her an incredulous look before stepping right in his path. She was maybe a head shorter than him, but that didn´t mean she would let herself get pushed around by him. " Is that a threat?".

Her opponent was smirking at her like he didn´t find her intimidating at all, which was most likely the case, but despite his laid back attitude, there was something dark and twisted in his grey eyes; something that was dangerous and maybe even deadly. " Yeah, so what are you gonna do about it?".

" Something I´ve never done before", lifting her hand, she chuckled when he slightly flinched back from her, even though she just brushed her hair away from her face. Under normal circumstances *she would have kicked his ass to kingdom come, but first she wasn´t in any condition to win this fight and secondly her two young companions were present and she didn´t want to scare them. " I will be mature and walk away".

Max was glad that she was finally starting to use her head and he was about the head to their dormitory when he saw that the guy from the Copper Summit District was pulling his hand back. " Watch out!".

Maria realized too late what was happening and barely had time react when the fist connected with her face. Her head was almost doing a full circle from the impact and just her pride kept her standing. Pain exploded instantly and she heard a ringing in her ears. Turning around she glared at the piece of scum and tried to not show her emotions. " Is that all you´ve got. I expected more from you. You hit like a girl".

" I´m just getting started, bitch", the guy was preparing to strike again when a hand was wrapping around his wrist and he was getting pushed at the wall. His arm was twisted on his back and he bit his lip in order to not cry out.

Everyone was shocked when they saw the exchange, but no one was willing to step in or walk away from the sight. Liz and Max were slightly stunned as soon as they recognized the guy who had been crying on the train ride was currently making a point with the guy from the Copper Summit District.

" Get gone and keep you hands away from the girl. I´ll see you just looking funny at her, I will punch you so hard that even your children will have my handprint forever branded on their skin".

Maria was partly flattered about the help, but also partly pissed about the intrusion. She wasn´t in need of a defender, she could do it for herself. She was about to voice her thoughts when she saw that their instructor was coming towards them.

Rath stopped a few feet from the cluster of people and glanced at the two guys apparently about to get into a fight. Getting in his instructor mode, he gave them all a look of annoyance. " Care to explain what´s going on here?".

" Nothing; just a slight misunderstanding", the nice guy stepped away from the bastard and calmly made his way in the direction of Maria. He smiled shyly at her before he put his hands carefully on her face to take a look at the small tear right over her right eye. " You´re lucky; it´s nothing serious, but you should let it get treated from someone".

Maria felt her face flush at the way he was touching her skin; so tenderly and with ease. From closer point, she noticed that he was not so bad on the eye. His eyes were dark and intense; his face angular and yet had softness to it. " Thank you…..".

Her protector dropped his hands at that; finally realizing what he was doing while she didn´t even know his name. " I´m Billy from the New York District".

" I´m Maria from the Roswell District", Maria was sure that he already knew that, but she didn´t know what to say to him after what he had done to her. She wasn´t used to strangers stepping in to defend her; it wasn´t so common these days.

Billy was just in the process to say something when he was slightly pushed out of the way from the Instructor from the Roswell District. Taking this as his cue to be out of the way, he wished the girl a good night and made his way with the other members of his group to their dormitory.

Rath didn´t like the interaction between those two and he was relieved when most of the people left. He mimicked the movement from the guy from the New York District and cupped Maria´s face careful in his hands. Her right eye was bleeding and it was swollen. " What happened here?".

" Nothing; just testosterone at its best. The guy from the Copper Summit District wanted to make a point", Maria winced when fingers touched the tender spot around her eye. Her first day at this place and she had been already in a fight. It felt like home to her, just that she was usually on the other side of the punch.

Rath pulled her face so that she was looking right at him and he was eyeing her for any other injury; but thankfully it appeared like it was the only damage visible; at least superficial. He was sure that it was even worse on the inside. " Why didn´t you hit him back?".

Maria was taken aback from the comment. She had the feeling that fighting among the chosen wasn´t something the aliens allowed; not until they got to the arena at least. " I didn´t get the chance. Before I could so something, Billy already stepped in".

" Yeah, what was that about? Do you know him?", Rath wasn´t so keen about someone from another District getting cozy with his charges. He didn´t trust anyone and especially a male attendant who was making nice with a female one. There was never a good ending and he didn´t want to lose one of his chosen so early in the game.

Maria shook her head as much as she could with him still holding her head prisoner in his warm and strong hands. For a moment she wondered why he hadn´t released her already, but she was too out of it to say anything. " Nope; first time I saw him on the train, but we didn´t speak with each other; I didn´t even know his name until now".

Rath promised himself to keep an eye out for the punk. " Let´s get you to the infirmary. Someone should check the wound. It doesn´t look too bad, but I just want to make sure that nothing is damaged".

" Good idea", Maria started to walk in the direction of the infirmary, at least what she thought was the way to it. She just hoped that she wouldn´t need too long to find it, because she was tired and her body was hurting in strange places. Unfortunately everything around her looked the same to her and she had absolute no clue which direction to take. Sighing, she turned around. " Can you tell me where to go?".

Rath tried to keep the grin off of his face, but unfortunately he couldn´t make it. That must have been a great act for her to ask for help, especially from him. Grasping her elbow, he steered her in the other direction. " I´ll bring you; I have to go that way anyway".

Maria wrenched her arm from his grip and huffed angrily at his manners. She didn´t like to get treated like she was a dumb girl or could´t fend for herself. " You don´t have to that; just tell me which direction and I can go alone".

" Nope; with your luck you will just get in trouble again. I´ll just make sure that you will get there in one piece".

Maria glared at him, but didn´t dignify his words with a response; it would just lead them to another argument and she was in too much pain to start something that she couldn´t bring to an end. So instead she walked alongside him quietly and thought about her first day. She had thought that her father had prepared her for a situation like this, but after today she wasn´t so sure about that anymore. It was very apparent to her that she may be in better shape than the others, but she wasn´t stronger. The incident with the guy from the Copper Summit District showed her that she had still a lot to learn when she wanted to survive the arena.

Rath glanced at her; wondering why she was so silent. It scared him that she hasn´t replied to his obvious dig in her direction. " Are you okay?".

" Yeah; just thinking", about how she could become a good fighter without losing herself in the process. She didn´t want to end like the people from the Copper Summit District, but she didn´t want to die either and in order to not do that, she had to be more ruthless and less caring.

Rath couldn´t read her mind, but he was sure that he knew what was going through her head, because the same had been plaguing him as well. It was hard to realize that the life they had lived would not matter at this place anymore; they had to become someone else, someone that had almost nothing to do with the person they had been before. But that was just part of this game. " You´re fast and you´ve got good moves, but everyone else could overwhelm you in strength. And your caring nature will get you killed".

Maria hated him for pointing out what she already figured out and it was hard to admit to herself that he was right. Something had to change, even though she was sure that her caring nature would be the hardest to stifle. " Thanks for telling me Captain Obvious".

" I´m not telling you this to put you down; believe it or not, I don´t want to see any of you six dead, I´m telling you this to help you. I see your weakness and I want to help turn it into an advantage", Rath was so sick of seeing people under his care die over and over again. It was time to change it.

Maria looked up at him and for the first time she didn´t see the asshole that was yelling at her or was trying to put her in place, she finally saw the boy who had been watching too many lives getting taken away from them. " How bad will it be? What lies ahead of us?".

Rath´ thoughts went back to the day when he was put in the arena; the fear of the unknown and the fear of dying had been almost choking him. When he heard the countdown, he thought he would faint, throw up or just go crazy. But as soon as the shot rang through the place, he did everything to survive. " It will be your worst nightmare; a nightmare you won´t be able to escape; even if you win".

" So I´m screwed either way, he?"

Rath stopped in his tracks in front of the infirmary and turned to her. Those beautiful green eyes were staring at him like he would hold all those answers she was looking for. And it was hard to look into them and knowing that he would probably fail again. " If you´re lucky you won´t have to go to the arena".

Maria gave him a small smile. She had to give him props for trying to make her feel better, even though they both knew that it was almost a done deal that she would be getting selected. She felt it in her guts and she usually listed to them. " Like you said earlier, with my luck I will get in trouble again and I think you were right".

" It doesn´t mean anything. Besides we still have time to make you into a fighter", Rath pointed behind her to the closed door. This conversation was starting to make him slightly uncomfortable. " But first, let´s get you patched up so that I can pester you again tomorrow".


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

Rath had seen a lot in the years he had trained the chosen; a lot of tears, a lot of begging and a lot of failing, but never did one of the chosen beat him to the gym in the morning. He was usually awake before the sun came up; that was part of the bad side of winning the games; not much sleep because of nightmares and went to work out. He was most of the time alone for hours until the others joined him and he liked the silence and the peacefulness before the day would start. But that morning he was surprised when he wasn´t the first person to walk into the room. A few seconds he stopped at the entrance and watched Maria running on the treadmill. Her t-shirt was already soaked and clinging to her petite body. Her feet were pounding in perfect sync with the swinging of her arms. Her eyes were focused in front of her and it was very apparent that she didn´t realize that she wasn´t alone anymore.

" Shouldn´t you be in bed?".

Maria startled out of her thoughts when she heard the voice and almost fell flat on her face in surprise. Just her quick reflexes kept her from hurting herself really bad. Putting the treadmill on stop, she took the towel she had put on the handle and wiped her wet face with it. " Shouldn´t you?".

Rath smiled at her witty comeback before he realized that he shouldn´t find her amusing. She was a pain in the ass and he was her instructor anyway. He didn´t socialize with the chosen aside from giving them instructions and prepare them for the worst case scenario. " I asked first".

" I woke up an hour ago and couldn´t get back to sleep, so I thought I could get an early start. What´s your excuse?", Maria noted with surprise that his smile was swoon worthy; it was making his whole face friendlier and younger.

Rath put his things on the ground near the treadmill and that put him in close proximity with the girl. Even though she was sweaty, she still smelled great and it was making him slightly hazy. " The same as you", looking at her face, he noticed that the cut over her eye had been taped and the area around it wasn´t colored, which was a good sign. " How is your injury?".

Maria was a bit thrown from the question, but recovered quickly. " Better than the rest of my body. I´ve got sore muscles at places I didn´t even know that I had muscles there".

" Then I did everything right yesterday", Rath was used to that comment; she wasn´t the first to tell him that after the first day. The body needed time to get used to the degree of exercise. In a few days it would stop and then he would push the limit to the max.

Maria hauled her sore bones to her next destination and started lifting the weights she had prepared earlier. She needed more muscles and real power so that she could punch the guy from the Copper Summit District into the next millennium the next time he started something with her. " You´re a sadist".

Rath gave her a stern look, trying to keep the amusement out of his features. That girl was slowly growing on him and that had never happened since his first time as an instructor. He didn´t think building a relationship with someone who was doomed wasn´t worth it. " I´m a good teacher, not a sadist".

" I still think you like our pain", Maria felt like her arms were weighting thousand pounds and her body was throbbing in pain. It was like she had been beaten to a pulp the day before and now every injury was acting up at once.

Rath studied her for a few seconds and he had to admit, aside from her rather brash character, she was one of the most beautiful chosen he had ever trained. His body's reaction was proof enough for that, but what made her more remarkable in his eyes was that she was unpredictable. He thought more about her than he did about the other five. " Just yours".

Maria stuck her tongue out; she wasn´t in any position to give him the bird, so she did the only thing that she could do. " You´re just so nasty to me, because you find me hot".

" That´s a good one", and so true.

Maria grinned at him and his attempt to act nonchalant at her teasing; he wouldn´t be the first male who wanted to downplay his attraction with a nasty personality in her life. She had to deal with immature creatures since the day she turned sixteen and guys wanted to find out if her kissable lips were as soft as they appeared. " Admit it; you can´t stop thinking about me?".

Rath laughed and even to his own ears it sounded fake and too high. What was he doing? He acted like a teenager just getting into puberty. He was a badass and people feared him; but one little slip of a girl and he went total brain-dead. " You wish, blondie. Not everyone is after your scrawny ass".

" Oh please, don´t you get tired of lying to yourself?", Maria was having too much fun with messing with him to stop. It was better than thinking too much about the next few weeks and how much she missed her family.

Rath glared at her while he tried to concentrate on putting on foot in front of the other and not on his fantasies whirling around his head. He needed his blood circulating in his body and not pooling into one region a level lower. " Don´t you need to give your body a work out instead of your mouth? You can´t kill anyone with talking them to death".

Maria´s mirth was getting bigger and bigger. But he was right in one thing, she had to prepare herself for the games and not think about putting the moves on her instructor, even though he was hot like molten lava. " Fine, but don´t think for one moment I will forget you´re undeniable attraction to me".

" Don't worry; I won´t".

Maria chuckled when she saw him rolling his eyes at her. Then she focused solely on her work out. She had a long way to go and only so much time to do it; she couldn´t waste any minute with anything else at this point. She went from unit to unit; lifted weights and trained parts of her body that she didn´t even know had muscles. Even though she felt like a giant walking bruise, she didn´t complain or grimaced. Here and there she let her gaze wander to her companion, who had stripped off his t-shirt and was running with just a pair of shorts on his beautiful sculpted body.

Rath liked the way she was so openly ogling him, even if he would never admit it to her. He was trying to keep himself in shape, not for the ladies, but for him. He was sure that the aliens would get bored with the games eventually and he wanted to be prepared to fight back when they decided to wipe out the human population. " You´re staring".

" I´m not, I was just deep in thoughts".

Rath raised his left eyebrow and was giving her a look that said he didn´t believe her. " I think you should wipe the drool from your chin".

Maria tried to move her head to her shoulder so that she could make sure that there wasn´t anything without making it too obvious that she feared he could have pointed out the truth instead of teasing her. But after she caught his smirk, she knew that she hadn´t been able to pull it off as well as she had thought. " Haha, you´re a douche".

" You think I´m hot", Rath wiggled his eyebrow at her while he made kissing noises. Stopping the treadmill, he took the towel and wiped his face with it. Then he traveled down his body with it; slowly and very sensual.

Maria watched him transfixed for a second before she shook her head. Oh boy, what was wrong with her; he wasn´t the first topless guy she had seen, but she never had such a reaction to so much skin before. She wasn´t used to feel like that and it was slightly irritating her. " I think you´ve got too many hits to the head".

Rath dropped the towel and went towards her while keeping eye contact. She wasn´t moving, just stared at him like he was about to attack her. The small weights in her hands were hanging down, forgotten at her side. " Why would you say that?".

" Because I´m not attracted to you", Maria hoped that he didn´t catch the slight waver in her voice and he wasn´t able to hear her loud heartbeat. Her knees were shaking and she couldn´t get enough air in her lungs. For a moment she thought she was having a panic attack, but she didn´t feel any fear, just excitement.

Rath stopped a hair breadth away from her; crowding her but not so much that she could feel trapped from him. He didn´t want to intimidate her, just making a point. Bending down to her, he was amused when she didn´t shrink back from him and instead she gave him a defiant look. " I didn´t say attracted; I said you think I´m hot. There´s a difference"

Maria tried to swallow, but her mouth was suddenly so dry that she felt parched. Her chest was heaving from the sexual tension sizzling hot and potent between them. She was sure that someone else was having control over her body, because she didn´t know herself anymore. " I´m neither so you can stop pestering me".

" Are you sure?", Rath let his eyes roam over her face and he was stuck for a second on her full, pink lips. He wondered if they were so soft like they appeared and would taste just as delicious.

Maria knew that he was just trying to prove a point and that this wasn´t real, but hot damn, she just wanted to slam him down on the mat and jump his bones to ride him until it was time for the arena. Clearing her head from her dirty thoughts, she stepped back from him. " Way sure. Now would you mind and give me some space?".

Rath was slightly disappointed at her response. A part of him would have liked her to step closer and kiss him like she had never kissed anyone before. But the rational part of his brain was glad that she hadn´t done it; it wouldn´t lead to anything good between them and every distraction could be deadly. Besides, what would it bring to start something with her when he knew that it wouldn´t last long enough in the first place anyway? " As you wish, blondie".

" Stop calling me that, douchebag", Maria snapped angrily while pondering if he was fast enough to escape the weights she would be throwing at his head soon. He was such an asshat. She must be brain dead to feel attracted to him. Maybe it was her that had gotten too much hits to the head and not him.

Rath chuckled; glad that this little episode hadn´t changed their strange relationship with each other too much. Turning around he was surprised to see that they had been having an audience and for a second he swore his heat stopped beating. " Hey Izzy; what kicked you out of bed so early?".

Isabel made a bad attempt to keep her amusement hidden, but as soon as she noticed the slight flush to his cheek, she couldn´t keep the grin from her face. " Did I disturb your little flirtation?".

" Flirtation? Me? With her? Pffft", Rath made a nervous gesture with his hand and he could have kicked himself for behaving so weird.

Maria gave him the evil eye across the room, really wondering how it would feel to chuck something heavy at him. " You don't have to sound so appalled. You could be glad to have someone like me".

Rath whirled in her direction and growled loudly. What would it take for her to keep her mouth closed for a few hours? He didn't need her commentary right now and especially with Isabel so close by; he would never live that down. NEVER. " Shut up!".

" Did you just growl at me and told me to shut up?", Maria dropped the weights on the ground; not even hearing the loud bang that followed. She was only focused on kicking him through the room and back. How dare he treat her like that?

Isabel saw the strange gleam in the other girl´s eyes and she feared for her friend. Instantly interfering, she put her body in the path between them and pushed the smaller girl back. No need to start a fight this early in the morning. " Time out! Both of you. Jeez; can´t you wait until I had coffee to bash your heads in?".

Maria was prepared to go through the taller girl to get to her target; but her brain told her that it wouldn´t be a good idea. So instead of using all of her energy on fighting them both, she turned around and put her anger to good use. She let her darker feelings out on the punching bag without even using the gloves.

" Woah; that girl got some issues", Isabel was glad that they were on the same team.

Rath shook his head while he fetched his shirt from the ground and made his way to the little room where they kept some things they would still need for the training. Breathing deeply in, he wondered why it usually escalated when they both were together for a longer time. Sure, they both didn´t know each other and the situation they were in wasn´t exactly the most pleasant, but the others didn´t react like this towards him. And strangely she did it only with him; he never noticed that she was somehow snappy with Isabel, her fellow chosen or other people, aside from the one guy from the Copper Summit district. Hopefully that wasn´t somehow related to each other; he didn´t want to get put together with one of them. He may be a little tougher and he didn´t smile that often, but he wasn´t heartless. Or was that how she viewed him?

Isabel watched him and she couldn´t remember a time when she saw him that distracted. He was usually more in control of his emotions. He was most of the time in his instructor mode and he didn´t let anything wreck that. Until this small slip of a girl stepped in his life. " She´s got you thinking, hu?".

" I don´t know what you´re talking about", Rath hadn´t even realized that he had been followed and that never happened to him. He had to get his head out of his ass and in the game again. This wasn´t some fairytale where he met a girl and they fell in love and lived happily ever after; this was real life and nothing in it was forever.

Isabel took the boxing gloves out of his hand and threw them on the ground before putting her hands on his shoulders. " It´s okay to feel a connection with your charges. It´s nothing bad really. I do that all the time, even though I know that I may never see them again"

Rath softly pushed her away and picked up the boxing gloves. The last thing he needed was a heart to heart with Isabel. He didn´t see it like her and it had kept him relatively sane all those years. He didn´t see a reason to form a relationship with someone that was doomed to die in the end. It was stupid and just unnecessary in his eyes. " What´s the point in that? They will die and all we can do is watch".

" That´s not true; we can prepare them and be there for them; not all of our District die in the games; we´re both living proof of that. But Mi…".

Rath instantly whirled on her, his face a mask of fury and his body trembling from it. For a moment it felt like the ground under their feet was slightly moving. " Don´t even think about calling me that!".

Isabel stumbled backwards and away from him. She knew that she didn´t have anything to fear from him; he was the last person to lash out at her in violence, but that didn´t mean that she wasn't scared of him. Sometimes his past was only one step behind him and he forgot that he wasn´t at home anymore. " Okay, sorry".

" Ehh sorry to interrupt, but is everything okay here?", Maria wasn´t someone to pry into anyone else's business, but she had been a little bit afraid for Isabel, especially when she heard his booming voice through the wall.

Isabel tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, but it just came out as a grimace in the end. She was more shocked about the outburst than she realized. Rath wasn´t a very quiet person and his personality was pretty much explosive all the time, but he never reacted like this towards her. It was scary to be on the receiving end of his fury. " Everything is fine; just a little quarrel".

Maria glanced at the other blonde and then she let her eyes wander to Rath, who was glaring at her. She felt like she just interrupted a fight among lovers and her eyes widened at the realization. She had put the moves on a guy that was already taken. " Okay, then I´ll be outside".

" Is your little tantrum over or do you need a time out?", Isabel asked carefully.

Rath was sure that he wouldn´t kill anyone, but he wasn´t exactly in any mood to deal with his charges right at this point. He would maybe run a few rounds outside to calm down. " I will be on the tracks for a few hours. I think you´re more than capable of teaching the chosen alone for that time".

Isabel wanted to reply something about his rude behavior and to get finally over it, but she knew that it wouldn´t get her anywhere. It would just end in another argument with him and with his anger silently seething under his skin, it would be probably the last thing she ever did. " Fine. You know where to find us", with a roll of her eyes, she turned around and went into the training room.

" You were gone when I woke up and I was scared", Mason had attached himself to Maria´s leg as soon as he had seen her standing in the middle of all the fitness equipment.

Maria pulled him up in her arms and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He was just too adorable and after the little run in with Rath, she could use something to cheer her up. " Ohhh sorry buddy. I couldn´t sleep and I didn´t want to wake up anyone so I started a little early".

Max snorted at that. Early his ass, he woke up a few times that night because of cramps in his legs and she hadn´t been in her bed the last time pain had made him sit upright in his bed and that had been hours before he had to be up and about. " Yeah hours early. Did you even sleep at all?".

" I slept; I just don´t need that much sleep", Maria didn´t want to admit that she was having nightmares and was afraid to get back to sleep. It wasn´t something she felt comfortable telling a bunch of people she barely knew. Besides, she didn´t want to scare the children.

Liz groaned loudly and instantly slumped on the mat. She couldn´t remember ever feeling this bad in her life, not even when she had this heavy case of the flu that almost burned her alive from the inside. At least then she had been able to sleep most of the time, but not this time. " How can you lift that boy after yesterday? Just looking at you makes me break out in pain".

Maria glanced at the girl and then at the others around her; everyone was looking like rolling out of bed was already exhausting and had been a challenge for them. No wonder, she had been feeling like a walking bruise as well this morning when she woke up, but apparently butting heads with their instructor had put everything else on the back burner. " You will get used to it. Besides, mind over matter".

" Pfft, screw that. I´m gonna stay right here and hope that a meteorite comes down and strikes me", Liz fell down on her backside and sprawled all of her limps out in all directions; just like she wanted to make a snow angel; well without the snow of course.

Max and Maria exchanged a glance with each other; both a little stunned to hear the girl cussing. Then they started laughing simultaneously. It was so weird; Liz didn´t appear like someone that even knew any bad word.

Isabel watched the scene for a few seconds before she clapped her hands loudly. They weren´t here for a slumber party or to make friends, they were here to train. " Okay people, get started. You know what to do", walking towards the form on the ground, she stared at the girl with a raised eyebrow. " What about you?".

" I´m waiting for a meteorite", Liz wasn´t sure if she was able to lift a finger, not even if her life would depend on it.

Isabel wished for once that Rath hadn´t walked off with his pissy attitude; because she needed it at this moment. She could be bitchy and annoyed, but she didn´t want to come across as a cruel instructor. She didn´t have in her. Unfortunately there was nothing else she could do. " Get up and start training like anyone else! Right now!".

Liz´ eyes widened at the blonde girl and instantly scrambled on her feet, even though her bones were screaming in agony at her. Max was at her side in seconds and put an arm around her, sending a death glare at their instructor.

" Man, where is Rath when you need him", Isabel rubbed her forehead. She was starting to get a headache and they hadn´t even started.

Maria smiled at the tall blonde in sympathy. No one here was trained for this and they weren´t here on their free will, which was making this whole thing a lot more complicated. They were like a bunch of toddlers, trying to get potty trained. It was hard and there was a lot of talking involved, but in the end it would hopefully end well. " Okay people, let´s earn our breakfast".

With those words everyone started exercising. Some picked up where they left off the day before, others started at the same and some of them did something completely different. Mason and Zoey still kept close to Maria and tried to impress her with their progress while she kept an eye on them, in case they were overdoing it. Liz made an impression like she was really straining herself, but in truth she only acted like that. Josh and Max seemed to be in a battle of testosterone, trying to find out who was stronger.

" Stop! Time for breakfast".

Everyone instantly dropped what they were doing and went in the direction of the mess hall. Thankfully they were the first to arrive and could choose from everything and not like the day before, where they had to take what was left behind. Putting their plates full, they went to their table and sighed in relief when they sat down.

Max was quietly talking to Liz in between bites while Zoey was listening to the little teasing that was going on with Mason and Maria. Josh kept himself slightly apart from the group, remembering the last time they had sat at the table and not wanting a repeat. A few moments later the mess hall was filling with the other chosen and the room was full of voices.

" Hey can I sit with you? My teammates are boring", Laurie had enough from them for an hour; she needed a break.

Maria swept a hand over their table. " Sit down. Our table is your table".

Laurie gladly planted her but besides the little girl and started digging in her food. She would probably be at this table every morning; the mood was a lot better here than at the one she had been seated. But she wouldn´t suffer the bad vibe over there when she could have people around her who weren´t stupid bitches and narcissistic assholes. " So how is your eye?".

" Good; no permanent damage", except part of her pride had been on the receiving end. But she wouldn´t let something like that happen again. The guy would step out of line towards her for another time and she would put him back in place.

Laurie glanced over her shoulder at the guy from the New York District. He was staring at her new friend since he had stepped inside and had only averted his eyes to get his food; but aside from that, he had been permanently watching the girl. " So, did you thank your savior properly?".

Maria wondered for moment what the blonde was talking about; but when she figured it out her cheeks were flaming slightly. She could remember thanking him, but she wasn´t so sure about that anymore. It had been just a blur. " What do you mean?".

" He can´t keep his eyes away from you, so I wonder if you did something that provoked that behavior", Laurie could recognize a love sick guy when she saw one; she had been in that position more times than she could count as well. Usually there was some flirting involved or just a smile.

Maria didn´t want to be obvious, but she also wanted to find out if the girl was telling the truth. Before she however could turn around, Mason already did that for her and he was very blunt about his observation. " Yep, he´s really staring".

And to make matters worse the whole table followed his example and everyone was making it very apparent what was going on. Billy immediately dropped his head and focused on the plate in front of him while Maria just shook her head. " Look what you´ve done. Now he knows that he´s caught".

" Then he shouldn´t act like a creep".

Maria tried to repress the laughter bubbling up inside her. She liked her new friend, even if she wasn´t sure if it was even smart to built a friendship, knowing that they would be enemies later in the game eventually. Before she could however continue her thoughts a shadow was falling over her. Looking up, she instantly knew that trouble was brewing and it would get ugly really fast. " Can I help you?".

The girl gave her a look of disdain before bending down to whisper in her ear. " Don´t feel too comfortable. We´ve got an eye on you and you won´t be surrounded by your protector forever".

" You know what; I´ve had enough of you and your district. You want to intimidate me? It´s not working bitch. You can tell that the bunch of freaks of yours as well. If you want to scare me, you need more than a small scratch and bad threats", Maria put her hand on the table and everyone flinched from the noise.

Rath had just entered the mess hall with Isabel when he saw the commotion. His eyes instantly went to Maria and he was relieved when he noticed that she wasn´t harmed or seemed to be in any kind of trouble. The only thing bothering him was the fact that the guy from the New York District was coming to her rescue again, even though it didn´t appear like she needed it. The bastard was slowly annoying him and it was driving him insane. " I´ll check it out, you get me something to eat".

Isabel smiled at his back before glancing around and seeing everyone had stopped eating to watch the spectacle. Rolling her eyes at the behavior, she whistled loudly. " there´s nothing to see; show is over. Get back to eating".

" Why is it that every time I turn my back, you´re in the middle of a brawl", Rath pressed himself between Maria and the guy from the New York District, who had been in the process to use his charm to score himself a few bonus points.

Maria groaned at him and his sudden appearance. The last thing she needed was another bickering match with the butthead. " I´m not the one starting it; I´m the victim here".

Rath swallowed the laugh that wanted to come out at the word. She may have been a lot, but he never saw her as a victim. She seemed more the opposite from it; even if her looks would suggest something else. Her appearance was deceiving. " Oh really; why do I have another feeling?".

" It´s true. The Copper Summit District has been on her since the train ride", Max interjected on the behalf of his friend. Besides he had been present when it started and the girl hadn´t done anything aside from existing.

Rath saw the others at the table nod in agreement and he wondered what was going on there. Twisting his head to the side, he noticed the hateful glances thrown in her direction and it made him afraid for her. She maybe wasn´t a damsel in distress, but she wasn´t invincible either. Maybe he should talk to the instructor from the Copper Summit District and give him the advice to keep an eye on his chosen or they were fair game for him. " No one will wander around here alone; if there´s any trouble, you come to me or Isabel".

Billy saw this moment as his cue to put the moves on Maria. Taking her hand and gazing in her eyes, he gave her his best smile. " I´ll make sure that you´re safe".

" Thank you", Maria liked the guy, but he was trying too hard to impress her and it was turning her off. Not that she would tell him that.

Rath was at the end of patience with the guy and he pushed him away from her. There was something that irked him at the whole situation and he was hell bent on keeping his charges safe. He wouldn´t lose anyone, at least not before the game began. " Don´t you have to be with your District?".

Billy put his hands up in a gesture of surrender before he threw a grin in Maria´s direction and went back to his place. No need to get in trouble so early; he still had enough time.

" Oh boy, that´s better than those alien shows on tv", Laurie had abandoned her plate of food and was openly watching the exchange with interest. Not that she was the only one, they had quite an audience and no one was trying to hide it.

Maria was mortified and embarrassed; all she had wanted was to keep in the background and do everything their instructor was telling them and then hope no one noticed her so that she could go home. Okay, she had known the moment she had stepped in the train that her chances of getting picked for the games had increased, but at least she had thought she could go through training without any trouble. Yeah so much for that. " You don´t have to run to my defense every time. I don´t need anyone fighting my battles".

Rath was well aware of that, but he had a strange sense to protect her. He didn´t know what it was, it never happened to him before. " I know, but I´m responsible for you and I´m the only one you have to be afraid of".

" Be glad that I´m out of smartass remarks, because you just gave me a really good opening", Maria was through with fighting for this day. She just wanted to make it through those weeks of training with minimal damage.

Rath smiled at her and for the first time it was neither sarcastic nor fake; a real smile. He didn´t realize that until he noticed everyone at the table staring at him with their mouths wide open. Clearing his throat, he tried to get his tough exterior back. " Sit down and eat. You need all the energy you can get".

Maria gave him a small salute before sitting down and hiding her grin. She may have a few enemies already, but she had enough allies in her corner as well. And for some reason she felt safe knowing that Rath was one of them.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

The next few days were passing in a blur of training, eating, sleeping. The Roswell District started to work together as a team; even Josh and Maria had settled their little dispute with each other. Liz finally took the training seriously and was getting better and better every day; well with the help from Max, who seemed to spent an awful lot of time with her. Zoey and Mason didn´t have the same workout as the older chosen, so they didn´t saw the change on them so much.

" Attention troop! We finally get to the juicy part this week", Rath pointed behind him at the pile of weapons.

Liz was instantly freaked by the sight; Josh was rubbing his hands in glee, Max was excited, Mason was partly scared and partly happy, Zoey didn´t want to be here any longer and Maria couldn´t wait to get her hands on one of those babies.

Isabel rolled her eyes at the reactions. It was usually the same, the guys were almost salivating from anticipation while the girls looked frightened; well aside from Maria of course, but that girl was a league of her own. " Don´t be too happy. Those weapons are not toys and it takes a lot of work to handle them. Those weapons can be your greatest asset in the arena, but they can be your greatest downfall as well".

" Weapons can decide between life and death, but they can also decide between surviving or not. Everything can be turned into weapon; you just have to know how", Rath walked up and down in front of his group with his instructor face and his usual arms crossed over his chest.

Isabel took a butter knife; one of those dulled one, turned it around in her hand a few times and before anyone could react, threw it on the wooden board standing in the corner of the training room. It stuck to it like glue. " The knife hadn´t been sharp at all and yet it´s sticking in the board. With enough force and the right technique, even harmless objects can be a weapon".

Rath gave her a look that said she was just showing off, even though he tried to not show his amusement. They tried to overdo each other every time they had new recruits for the Fighting Games. It was sort of a running gag between them. " But in order to get a feel for the weapons, we will be training without them at first".

" How should we get a feel for them if we don´t use them?", Josh voiced what everyone else was thinking as well.

Rath went towards the table in the middle of the room and came back with something that looked like toys for children; those little plastic machetes that the kids ran around and played war with; nothing to be scared off. " We´re using props for the moment. When I think you ready, we´re switching to the real thing".

Maria tried not to let her disappointment shine through, but a little sigh escaped her at the thought that they had to use fake weapons. Her eyes had been drawn to a crossbow leaning against the wall with a bow and swords in every size. She would love to get her hands on that, because it reminded her about the time her father had taken her with him to hunt. She hadn´t been that good with the bow actually, but the crossbow had been like an extension of her arm. She had caught her first deer with it and even though she wasn´t exactly too keen on hunting, this was one of her best memories.

" Any comments or can we start?", Rath glanced at every face and was glad when no one had anything to say. Though he was curios what had Maria so distracted that she didn´t give him some smartass remark about cuddling them.

Isabel noticed that everyone was onboard and she started handing out the props to the chosen and she had to keep her smile off of her face when she saw their reaction as soon as they held them in their hands. Even though it was all plastic, the machetes were just as heavy as the real deal. " First try to get a feel for the weapon. Don´t stab away like you know what you´re doing, because you´re not".

Josh was not listening to the warning and instantly started wielding the toy like he was a warrior; including the sound effect to match. Max was on board in seconds and within a minute they were in some battle with each other. Zoey and Mason were watching the guys with joy while Liz and Maria just shook their heads at the behavior.

" This is not for fun! This is real and you better start treating it like that!", Rath exploded.

Max immediately stopped and acted like he just got caught doing something he shouldn´t. He wasn´t used to people screaming at him, because he was usually a well behaved person. But he thought if he would have to go to his death, he better well make the most of his last weeks. " We know this is real; but excuse us when we want to have a little fun once in a while. We know we´re doomed, but that doesn´t mean we can´t go with some dignity and good memories"

Maria hid her smile behind her hand and dropped her head to make sure that no one could see her amusement in her expression. That was her boy and she was glad that he finally found some backbone. It was about time. " Go Max", she whispered so quietly that she was sure no one heard her.

" Oh boy, you´re hanging too much around blondie here", Rath should be freaking furious about the outburst, but instead he was proud of the guy. His charges had to learn to stand up for themselves.

Maria huffed angrily at the dig in her direction and she put her right hand on her hip. She had tried to behave the last week and she hadn´t opened her mouth, even though the feeling to do it had been almost unbearable at times. " Hey, don´t you dare involve me in this".

Isabel chuckled at the display between those two. She had kinda missed the bickering and she was glad that it was still as entertaining as it had been the first time. At least the training wasn´t so boring like those before that. " Okay; before this turns into Maria vs Rath again, we finally get going with the training. We don´t want to be behind the other Districts, do we?".

" Oh hell to the no", Maria was still getting treated like a pariah from the people from the Copper Summit District. These days she was always surrounded by someone, when she went to the mess hall, when she went outside to get fresh air or even if she had to use the restroom outside their bedroom. And she hated it.

With those words everyone began with the dry run with their heavy toys. Liz looked a little scared of the object in her hand, even though she knew that it wasn´t exactly dangerous. Isabel was at her side and showed her a few moves to either scare someone off or to disarm him or her. Josh was swinging the machete like he was Indiana Jones making a path through the jungle. Max was fighting with an invisible opponent while Mason and Zoey were trying to mimicking him. Maria meanwhile was just staring at her weapon and flexed her hand around the handle. Rath watched the others for a few seconds before he was sure that Isabel could take care of them and then he kept an eye on her. He was a little stunned that she hadn´t instantly started acting like a badass and was trying to kill him.

He had to admit he was impressed with her; her dedication and her will to fight. Yeah, he had been wrong about her character and even though he would never tell her that to her face, he was very proud of her progress. She had been the first in the morning and the last in the evening in the training room everyday and she had endured everything he had dished out without a comment or complain, though he knew that she had wanted to.

" Gotcha!".

Rath startled out of his thought when he felt a slight pressure on his back. Even without turning around he knew who was standing behind him, the unmistakable scent of something flowery was a dead give away to him. " What are you gonna do now?".

Maria walked around him and held the machete in front of her like she wanted to keep him at bay. If not for the smile on her face, the situation would have appeared threateningly. " Isabel told me that you´re the best in combat and I´m curios if what she said is true".

" It´s true", not that it was something to be proud of, but when it came to fighting he was really good at it. Maybe his past had shaped him more than he wanted to admit or his determination to not end back at home had made him like that.

Maria went to the table, picked the last machete and made her way towards him. Offering him the weapon, she was amused about his questioning expression. The guy was sometimes too cute for words and so hot that she had to look away before she would burn. " Then prove it to me".

Rath stared alternating at the toy in front of him and the person holding it. " Are you sure about that? I´ve got years of experience while you´re new to this".

" Scared?", Maria knew exactly what she was doing and it was exciting to see the change in his face; from being smug and slightly amused over disbelief to anger.

Rath took the toy machete and got in stance. He would show her that he wasn´t scared of anything, especially some mouthy little blonde girl that couldn´t keep quiet, even if her life would depend on it. He ate people like her for breakfast. " You will be so sorry to have awakened the beast".

Maria laughed out loud at his words. Men were so easy to manipulate and she was glad that she had years of experience in that area. She grew up with three brothers, an overprotective father and a male best friend, she knew a lot about their egos. " Uuuhhh, I´m shaking in my boots".

" You should be", before the sentence was even finished, he was striking out at her with quick action. Unfortunately for him, she had very good reflexes and was moving aside before the plastic blade could make contact with her.

Maria grinned at his attempt and lunged at him; using his stunned reaction to her advantage. But like he said, he had years of training and so he stepped aside from the attack and launched his own. The toy blades clashed together and they both were intent to not give in.

Rath was slightly shocked about her strength, even though she was smaller and had like 60 pounds less than him. But she was determined not to lose against him and he was determined not to lose against her. They were eye to eye and it was very apparent that neither of them would back down.

"Oh man! They´re finally going at it. Wonder who wins?", Josh was not concentrating on his weapon anymore and was openly staring at the battle happening in front of him.

The others did the same at his words and were slightly forming an audience. Liz was afraid for her new friend; even though she was sure that Maria was more equipped to handle Rath than anyone else in their bunch. Max was trying to analyze the moves their instructor made to copy them later. Zoey and Mason were worried about anyone getting hurt while Isabel was amused about the whole thing. But they all had to admire the beauty of their fighting. Rath had maybe years of training ahead of him, but Maria was quick on her feet and not so new to this whole defending herself as well.

Both were moving so in sync that it appeared like they had been doing it for years. Maria was striking out at Rath and he was parrying it with perfectly precision and vice versa. Here and there one of them slipped and the other was able to land a hit, but most of the time it seemed like they were on even ground with each other. When it was getting very obvious that no one would win this by playing it fair, other measures got involved, such as punches and kicks.

Blow for blow they were battling for the upper hand and it was very apparent that it wasn´t just a training anymore, now it was about pride and honor. Neither Rath nor Maria were ready to call defeat in this, even though the punches were real and bruises already forming.

" Someone should step in before blood will be spilled", Liz was biting her nails in fear and nervousness. Despite her knowing that this was part of what she had to expect in the arena, it was just too much for her to bear. She wasn´t so into violence.

Isabel shook her head and even kept Max from interfering. Anyone else stepping between those two would probably not walk out of this room conscious. Either Rath or Maria would punch first and than ask questions later." Don´t worry; he knows what he´s doing".

Liz was about to tell the girl that it didn´t look like that when Maria was crying out in pain and let the toy machete fall to the ground before hiding her face in her hands. Rath instantly stopped with his attack and walked closer to her to make sure that he hadn´t hurt her too much. The moment he was in touching distance, Maria was ready for him. Within seconds she had knocked him on his ass, had his weapon in her hand and was standing with one foot on his chest.

" I defeated the beast. Point for me and none for you".

Rath was too stunned to respond. He had let her face and her youth deceit him and that was not something he had ever done. Usually he treated anyone like he or she was out to get him, but she was different. The moment she bumped into him and her beautiful green eyes had stared back at him, he had known that she wouldn´t be like anyone else. " Good for you; but don´t get used to it".

Maria offered him her hand and to her surprise he took it without making a big deal out of it or ripping her arm off. She pulled him up and for a second they were so close to each other that they were breathing the same air. But then the clearing of a throat was breaking the moment. " We will see".

" Okay guys, the show is over. Let´s get started", Rath hoped that no one could see the slight flush on his cheeks or the obvious tent in his pants. No need to raise speculations. When he noticed everyone else was occupied, he took Maria aside. " Not you".

Maria was slightly taken aback and wondered if he would take revenge for handing him his ass in front of the others. " Why not? Please don´t tell me you´re one of the guys that can´t lose to a girl and you want to punish me for it now?".

Rath was trying to keep his amusement hidden while he dragged her towards the smaller training room at the other side. There were dummies, more weapons, targets and something that looked like a wall with huge nails in it. " Punish you? Now that sounds really interesting", seeing her shocked expression, he couldn´t keep his laughter in this time. " No, I´m not punishing you. On the contrary, you just got promoted to the advanced stage of the training".

" Are you serious?", Maria couldn´t believe it and she was eyeing him like she expected him to surprise her with an attack.

Rath rolled his eyes at her behavior. For once he was being really nice to her and she didn´t trust it; go figure. Walking towards the weapons, he took four small wooden sticks and gave two to her. " I´m dead serious. But first, we have to find out if you´re only good with machetes or if you are as good with every other weapon".

Maria got a nice tight grip on the sticks and was wielding them in the air to get a feel for them. Then she took on the stance her father had taught her; lifting one stick up and holding the other down. Smiling at her instructor, she winked at him. " Bring it on!".

" Gladly", with that Rath attacked her.

**Later that evening**

Maria sat outside with Max, Liz and Josh while the children slept already. They had snatched some ice packs from the infirmary and were tending to their battle wounds and sore muscles. Josh was sporting a nice black eye from an elbow; Max had dislocated his shoulder twice from a too quick motion, Liz wasn´t used to moves and her back was killing her. Maria was black and blue from sparring with Rath the whole afternoon.

" I always thought using a weapon is soo easy", Josh was glad that he had a high pain level or else he would probably whine a little bit more. His eye was throbbing and every time he blinked it was hurting all over again.

Max nodded in agreement; it usually looked effortless and fluid. Unfortunately for them, it was not what they expected. Thankfully they only trained with props and not with the real deal, because they would have surely killed each other a few times that day. " I hope it will get better".

Liz tried to stretch her back while she held the icepack to the spot where it hurt her the most, but she felt like someone broke her spine and then put it back together just to break it again. " Let´s hope so; a few days of this torture and I´m ready for the infirmary".

" Are you listening to yourself right now? You think the arena is a cake walk?", Maria loved to bitch about the training just as much as everyone else, but she knew that importance of the training and the pain and the bruises.

Max glanced at her and even though her tone was rather sharp, he felt more like smiling than feeling offended from her snappish comment. " You start to sound like Rath. Something you want to share with the class?".

Maria snorted in annoyance. Even if some part of her admired his strength and patience and yeah his absolute perfect body, there was absolute nothing else going on. Well, aside from the sexual attraction between them, but that wasn´t that unusual for two people with different genders. No big deal. " He´s not always so wrong in everything and if anyone will tell him I said that, I will pound them in the ground".

" Denial, denial my friend", Liz put her arm around the other girl. It was very obvious to everyone that there was more going on than they wanted to admit.

Maria shrugged the arm off of and stood up. It was time to hit the bed; she wanted to be at the training room in a few hours and she needed all the rest she could get. " I think this is my cue to retreat for the night. Good night".

Liz exchanged a knowing glance with Max and Josh. Yeah, there was nothing going on between those two….not! For a few seconds she watched her friend walking away before she put her head on Max´ good shoulder.

" Hey, I finally found you".

Maria turned to the voice and was pleasantry surprised to see Billy jogging up to her. They hadn´t seen so much of each other the last days and if they were in close proximity, there had always been Rath standing in between. " Hey you. What has you chasing me down at this hour?".

Billy tried to appear casual and calm, even though his inside was tight up in knots. He wasn´t used to chasing girls, they usually were chasing after him, so he wasn´t sure what to say or how to act without looking like a dork. " Nothing special. I just wanted to see you".

" Okay", Maria felt slightly uncomfortable with the attention she got from him. She liked him, he seemed like a really great guy, kinda like Alex back home, but she didn´t feel anything more than just friendship towards him and it was clear that it wouldn´t be enough for him. " Don´t you think it´s pointless to make friends with someone from another district?".

Billy shrugged his shoulders in his careless way and smiled at her; he didn´t see it like that; not yet at least. Besides it was probably highly unlikely that they would be both in the arena; usually they took the strongest from the District und most of the time it was almost just guys. " Maybe; but what´s the harm in getting to know new people?".

Maria couldn´t find a plausible reply to that and so she just mimicked his reaction from earlier. Leaning with her back against the wall behind her, she eyed him. Maybe she could use his attraction for her, if she was really going into the arena, maybe it wouldn´t hurt to have some allies in the beginning. " So, how do you like it so far?".

" I thought it would have been worse, but I still miss my parents and my two sisters", Billy followed her until they were side by side.

Maria could relate to that; every night she was feeling that hole opening up inside her body and trying to choke her. She wondered if her parents were doing okay without her, if Theo was still blaming himself, if Sean was keeping out of trouble and if Kyle and Tess were still waiting impatiently for their baby. The not knowing was driving her crazy. " Yeah I know that feeling. I miss my parents and my three brothers and my best friend".

Billy turned his head in her direction; staring at her striking profile. The long lashes of her incredible eyes, the cute nose, the high cheekbones and that damn kissable lips just begging for attention. And yet underneath all that was such a nice person. " I know what you did for your brother and I think it was very honorable".

" You´ve got two sister. Tell me you wouldn´t have done the same in my place?", Maria glanced at him and even without him saying anything, she saw the answer in his eyes. He was finally someone that understood her motivation and didn´t think she was trying to impress those aliens.

Billy didn´t want to imagine his sisters at this place and he wondered why her brothers didn´t interfere when she volunteered. " You said you have three brothers, why didn't´the other two volunteer for you?".

Maria was sure if they would have been able to do that, they would have both probably beat each other to go in her place. She was no ordinary girl, but they always treated her like a delicate flower. Despite her annoyance towards their behavior, she loved them for it, because she knew that they just wanted to protect her. " They´re both over the required age of eighteen".

" Oh, that sucks".

Maria crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the other wall opposite her. She didn´t want to talk about her family or her homesick feeling would just intensify and probably keep her more from sleeping than it had done the whole week. " Can we find another topic?".

Billy noticed the change in her and he felt stupid for making her sad. He hadn´t wanted to do that, on the contrary, he wanted to cheer her up. " Yeah sure", mulling over a safe topic, he finally found a question that had made him curios. " How good is your Instructor Rath?".

" Very Badass. He´s a little ruder than I´m used to, but he get´s things done in his own way. I think he´s pretty awesome, but if you tell anyone I said that, I will deny it vehemently", Maria got that stupid grin when she thought about their training. The way his muscles worked when he moved and the intensity in his glance when their eyes met. " And yours?".

Billy sighed in defeat when he saw how her face started glowing when she talked about her instructor. That wasn´t just a slight worshipping of a idol, it was the reaction from a girl that had a crush on a guy and not just any ordinary guy. " Larek is good, but nothing compared to Rath like I heard".

Maria wondered why he was saying it like that; like she was supposed to know about everything that was told about him. Yes, Rath had to be pretty badass to make it through the arena, but so did others as well. " What did you hear about him?".

" He´s a legend. Youngest to win the Fighting Games. He disappeared for a few years and then came back as an Instructor. No one knows anything about him, except he has no family and no friends. There´s even a rumor he´s a half-breed", Billy whispered the last sentence so they were the only ones to hear it.

Maria was stunned about the information. No wonder the guy had a chip on his shoulder. She couldn´t imagine living without any family or friends; winning the Games so young and having nothing to go back to. And then to feel like a freak, because of being different to top of all that. How sad was that? " There are no half-breeds; it´s just a rumor".

Billy gave her a look that said she had to be kidding. To every rumor there was a tiny piece of truth hidden. Maybe there weren´t a lot of half-breeds, but they existed. He thought that the whole Copper Summit District was populated with them. " Please, they´re just as real as the Aliens. How can you explain those mutants from the Copper Summit District winning almost every year?".

" They´re vicious, heartless and ruthless, but that doesn´t mean they´re half-breeds", Maria was shaking like a leaf on the inside; afraid that he was onto something. If he started to suspect something, she was scared how long it would take him to find out that he was indeed talking to a half-breed at the moment. Since she was able to understand anything, her mother had taught her to hide her powers and act normal. It had been her mantra her whole life and she would live by it until her dying day.

Billy didn´t notice any strange reaction from her and just thought she was dismissing his theory about those retards. " Don´t believe me, but one day I´m gonna tell you I told you so".

Maria tried to overplay her unease with a chuckle, which turned into a yawn within seconds. She was starting to feel the hard day and all she wanted was to go to bed. Maybe sleep would make her not so paranoid. " Sorry, but I think it´s time for me to hit the sack".

"Sure, I´m really beat as well", putting a hand on her arm, he squeezed it in gratitude. " See you. And good luck with your training".

Maria wished him the same before she made her way towards the sleeping room; unaware that the interaction between her and Billy hadn´t been so private like they had believed. At one end of the corridor was the guy from the Copper Summit District and on the other one Rath; both having listened to conversation.

TBC

**Hey people reading my fanfiction and those who leave comments, I thank you for liking my story. In order to have a slight visual support, I created a pinterest site for Hero of the day. You can take a look here: **

** michaelalovesde/hero-of-the-day-roswell-fanfiction/**

**If you want you should check it out. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to everyone reading and to those who dare to leave such nice feedback.**

**Chapter 6**

Rath was sitting on the railing at the running track; watching the sun getting up in the horizon. The air was slightly cold, but not unpleasantly and he enjoyed the clarity of this time. The conversation between Maria and that guy from the New York District kept replaying in his head over and over again. Even though some words had been whispered, he had understood it perfectly.

" _**There´s even a rumor he´s a half-breed"**_

The worst part wasn´t even that people thought he was one or that there were rumor about him floating around. It was the reaction from Maria when she heard it. Not that the guy had noticed anything, but he had seen it; that quick flash of panic in her eyes before she had masked it again. Had she been afraid of him or afraid that others could hear it?

For years he had been afraid that people would find out about him. He had heard rumors about half-breeds disappearing and never seen again. There was even a rumor that the aliens had headhunters looking for them to let them vanish from the scene. It was not something that he wanted to happen to him. But he knew that it was just a matter of time before his cover would be blown, yet he thought that he would still have enough time to make plans for his escape before anyone would realize that he wasn´t like anyone else.

Brushing his hand through his hair, he glanced at the different colors painting the sky in reds, oranges, blues and greens. How many sunrises and sunsets would he be able to see? How many days he had to live in this constant worry about being discovered? How many hours of denying himself any fun, because of his fear of being called a freak?

" It´s beautiful, isn´t it?".

Rath almost lost the balance when he heard the voice behind him. Holding tightly onto the railing with both hands, he glared at the person almost scaring him to death. " Geez woman, don´t sneak up on me like that!".

Maria laughed about his frightened face; she hadn´t been able to resist scaring him. It was strange, for someone that was told to be some kind of legend, he was easy to startle and it was starting to make fun to her. She liked him so open and real; so vulnerable and lively. " I made my presence known, but you didn´t hear me. It´s not my fault that you´re deaf".

" I´m not deaf; I was deep in thoughts", Rath didn´t even know why he was telling her that; it wasn´t like she was interested to hear anything about it.

Maria had suspected as much when she watched him staring off in the distance; his eyes unfocused and his body still like a statue. She wondered what was going on inside his head and why she had a feeling she could probably relate to it? " Something you wanna share? I will be even quiet for some time and listen".

Rath eyed her and for some reason he wanted to tell her; wanted to confide in her about his fears and his worries. Something inside him told him that she would understand him; understand how it was to be different. But he wasn´t so sure if he could trust anyone, not even her. " As much as I want to see you shut up for a while, there´s nothing I have to share".

" Fine, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me", lifting her leg to the back, she grasped her ankle and stretched it. If they weren´t going to talk, she would do what she wanted to do in the first place. Run a few laps before going to the training room.

Rath studied her and for some crazy moment he had the urge to put her over the railing and take her from behind until she was screaming his name over and over again; telling him to go harder and faster or maybe deeper. Shit; it had been too damn long without any kind of release and it was slowly driving him crazy. So in order to get his mind out of the gutter, he jumped from the railing and followed her lead. He could use some exercise. " Are you a fast runner or just a jogger?".

Maria was confused about the question and she was curios why he was asking her that. " I´m fast, but I like jogging more. Why?".

" There are situations at the arena that require you to flee instead of facing your opponents head on. You need to be faster than them in order to protect yourself", Rath only survived so long, because he had enough experience in knowing when to run away or when to confront.

Maria stared at him, really stared at him and for the first time she saw the shadows lurking behind his caramel colored eyes; shadows that would probably always stay with him, no matter where he went and how many good things he would do in his life. " Why do I have the feeling you´re not really talking about the Fighting Games?".

Rath avoided her gaze and tried to make an impression of being busy with stretching his body while in reality he was hiding the slight panic crawling up inside him. " Why do I have the feeling you like to piss me off with stupid questions?".

" Oh boy; I hit a nerve", Maria was puzzled over his behavior; one minute he was flirty and nice and the next he was trying to bite her head off. Why was he so touchy when it came to talk about himself? What did he have to hide?

Rath gave her an angry look before he took off without a word. His feet were furiously pounding on the cinder track and he made a fruitless attempt to get the question out of his head. What was happening to him? Did he lose his touch? Was he getting that obvious that people he barely knew could see what was going on behind his indifference? Or was it just her?

Maria was two steps behind him; pondering if she should give him space to calm down or if she should push her luck and maybe get a few answers that had been whirling around her head for some time now. Deciding that she had always been no fan of being cautious, she went into a faster gear and was besides him in no time at all. " Look, if I offended you in any kind than I´m sorry, it wasn´t my intention. I´m just trying to get to know you better, that´s all".

" Why?".

Maria shot him a questioning glance, waiting for some kind of explanation for that one word. But after a few seconds she realized that nothing was following. " Why what?".

Rath picked up his pace; to lose her or to see if she would keep up with him, he wasn´t so sure about that. Not surprisingly she was still at side and didn´t even sound like she had problems with getting air into her lungs. " Why do you want to get to know me?".

" We will spend a lot of time together. Besides I think you´re a cool person", Maria felt like a dork for saying that. Mentally she slapped herself for that. _I think you´re a cool person!_ She did not just tell him that.

Rath chuckled when he saw the slight flush appearing on her face and she was doing that cute wrinkling with her nose that he liked so much. For someone that thought he wasn´t into all that sappy shit, he was awfully thinking a lot about that crap when she was around. " So I´m cool, hu? Never heard that from a chosen before".

Maria was two seconds away from giving him a push. What was she thinking being nice to him; he was obviously not interested to get to know her. Fine, she could take a hint and she had learned a lesson: to keep her mouth shut the next time. She had to get a filter and not just sprout anything that was popping in her head. " You know what? Forget I said anything".

" Maybe it´s better that way", Rath couldn´t let anyone close to him; never again.

Maria had finally enough. Stopping her jog, she grasped his arm and almost made him fall down from the sudden halt, but he was thankfully quick on his feet and managed to keep standing. " What is your deal? Why do you always have to act like an asshat?".

Rath glanced for a moment at his wrist, where her hand was still wrapped around and he wondered if she felt the same sparks that were shooting up and down his arm. Looking up, he was trapped in the bright green pools glaring angrily at him. She had never been more sexy than in that moment and he wasn´t so sure if he should wrench himself away from her or pull her closer.

" I was asking you a question", even though she could care less what he answered as long as he was looking at her like that. His intent gaze on her was like an open flame on a cold night and made her body tingle everywhere. She had never felt so much with another guy and it was slightly irritating her.

Instead of answering her verbally, Rath did something uncharacteristically for him. Without giving her a chance to say anything again, he cupped her face with both hands, hauled her towards him and kissed her like he never kissed anyone before. It was gentle, aggressive and passionate at the same time.

Maria was so stunned about the sudden attack that she was frozen for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. But when her brain and her mouth were connected again, she pushed her hands in the longer hair of the back of his neck and pressed her body so tight onto his that not even a sheet of paper would have been able to get between them. His hands were slowly doing a tour over her body until they were firmly wrapped around her middle and very close to her bottom.

Rath groaned when he felt her nails digging into his flesh and his dick started throbbing painfully. He had never felt something so powerful with just a kiss and it was scaring him. He thought that if he finally took the plunge he would stop obsessing over it. Unfortunately for him, it seemed to have the exact opposite effect and he only stopped kissing her when the need to breathe was overwhelming.

" Woah! What was that?", Maria was blown away. No wonder the other girls her age had always looked like drugged bimbos after a make out session with their boyfriends.

Rath glanced at her and he was only getting harder at her red, swollen lips and flushed face. Scratching his eyebrow to hide his nervousness, he tried to get his strong beating heart under control. He knew that what he did wasn´t the best move he ever made, but honestly he didn´t regret it. " That was just to shut you up".

Maria was sure that she had heard him wrong, because he just did not say that to her. She stepped back from him like he just punched her in the face. Her first real kiss and he was telling her that he just did it to make her shut up? " What? Say that again?".

" It doesn´t mean anything".

Maria breathed deeply in and out; knowing that if she would start flipping out, her powers would go out of whack again and the last thing she needed was anyone seeing her go alien. So instead of beating him to a pulp, she only slapped him once. " That was to shut _**you**_ up and it actually means something", with that she turned around and walked off angrily.

Rath watched her form getting smaller and smaller, his cheek burning from the slap and his lips pressed into a tight line. He had to use everything in him not to cuss out loud or begin to scream the whole place down. He made a mistake and now he was paying for it.

**Training room**

Thankfully Maria wasn´t the only one in the advance group anymore; Josh and Max had joined her. They were a good buffer between her and Rath and kept her from scratching his eyes out. It was never good to piss off a female that had access to weapons.

" This is so much cooler than those props", Josh had instantly found a liking to the swords, even though it wasn´t even sure if they had access to those in the arena.

Maria stared quietly at him, her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed into a tight line. She was still debating to sit out one training out and do something else instead. But she didn't want to give Rath the satisfaction of scaring her away. So instead of avoiding him like she had wanted, she was here and planned evil ways to kill her Instructor.

Max eyed her with concern; the girl was too quiet and it made him highly suspicious. Since this morning she had been like that; there hadn´t been any teasing or scolding, there had been just silence and here and there a small smile, which was mostly directed at Mason. " Are you okay?".

" Sure, just peachy", Maria snapped irritated before she realized that her sentence and the bite to her note didn´t match. Immediately she relaxed her stance and chuckled; she was behaving like a petulant child and she wasn´t usually like that. " Sorry, it´s not you".

Max stepped closer to her and bumped his shoulder softly into hers. He didn´t know a lot about girls, but he could detect when something was wrong very easily. " Wanna talk about it?".

Maria smiled at him, for once that day a real one and not those faked ones. He was a nice guy and he would probably never kiss a girl just to get her to shut up and treat her like a jerk. Why couldn´t she be attracted to someone like him? Or to Billy? No her stupid heart was set on the most complex man she had ever met in her life. " Thanks, but there´s nothing to talk about. I made a mistake and I learned from it".

" You didn´t kiss Billy, did you?", Max had seen them both last night when he and the others got inside. They had been really close to each other and it had seemed really intimate between them. Even though it wasn´t exactly forbidden to have contact with the other Chosen, it wasn´t very smart to start something, especially when not knowing if you had sex with your future enemy.

Maria gave him a horrified look. What did he think about her? She didn´t walk around kissing any guy that was crossing her path. She had some decency, even if it had fled her this morning with Rath. But to her defense, he had surprised her and he was a damn good kisser. " Uh no, why would you even ask me that?".

Max just shrugged his shoulder innocently. " We saw you with him yesterday. You two looked cozy".

" And you think just because I´m nice to him I want to kiss him?", Maria couldn´t understand it; why did everyone always interpret her kind nature into something else. What if she got along better with guys than girls? That didn´t mean she wanted to jump them.

Max knew that the wrong word could make him lose a limp or two so he chose his next sentence carefully. Even though he liked the girl, she tended to be on the unstable side and anything could set her off, especially when she was in a mood. " No, of course not. Forget I said it, I wasn´t thinking about what I said".

Maria snorted angrily. That was the only problem with the male gender; they didn´t think before opening their mouths. They only realized that they said something dumb when the girl pointed it out at them and then they tried to find excuses for their behavior. " Yeah whatever".

" Uh it´s the time of the month", Josh shoved his elbow at Max´s ribs.

Maria balled her hands into fists; ready to use them to give the guy a five finger hello when she heard Rath coming into the room. For a moment their gaze met before he glanced away quickly, focusing his attention on the boys besides her instead, which was fine with her. She didn´t need his regard anyway.

Rath still felt guilty for what he had done that morning, but he told himself that it was for the best. For her and for him. It couldn´t end well, it never did. " Josh put the sword away before you hurt yourself. Max, grab those throwing knives".

" Are we gonna practice throwing knives?", Josh asked while he put the sword back at its place. He was slightly disappointed that there wasn´t any action at this point. What was the point of advanced training when there wasn´t any physical exercise or any weapons involved and no he didn´t count the small knives as weapons.

Rath rolled his eyes at the dumbest question he got ever asked. He was half tempted to send the guy back to the others just for that question. " No we´re practicing knitting", that earned him a unbelieving glance and he felt like shaking his head and getting him needles and thread to teach him knitting. " Oh god, are you really that stupid?"

Maria wasn´t really sure if it was the newfound friendship between her and her fellow chosen or if it was the humiliating encounter that morning, but something inside her was rearing its head and wanted to come out and play. " Hey, don´t talk to him like that! He´s not stupid, jerk!".

" Oh we´re back to calling names again? Very mature from you", and he wasn´t just talking about this situation.

Maria glared at him for a moment, but refrained from commenting. It would just upset her more and give him leverage against her and he had already more than enough. Breathing deeply in, she counted to ten before she smiled brightly at him while she scratched her nose with her middle finger. She knew that it was just as childish, but she could´t let that slide without any kind of revenge.

Rath caught the gesture and he wasn´t sure if he should be offended or really amused about it. One thing was for sure, that girl wasn´t doing what he expected her and it was making him slightly nervous. She was too unpredictable and hard to assess what she would do. " So blondie, why don´t you put your money where you´re mouth is and show us what you´ve got?".

" At least my mouth knows what its doing", Maria smirked at him, glad that she came up so quickly with her reply. Walking towards Max, she took three of the throwing knives out of his hands and made her way in front of the tall target that should resemble a male person. Adjusting her stance, she gripped two of the knives in her left hand while she held the other with the right one. A few times she stretched her arm like she wanted to throw, but she didn´t let go. Then she focused on the target and imagined Rath standing there. With pleasure she threw all three knives fast like lightning one after another.

Josh, Max and even Rath didn´t know what to say about that. If the target would have been a real person, he would have two holes in his forehead and no penis. All three males were slightly wincing at that, not wanting to think about how painful that would be.

Maria turned to her audience and made a small bow; mentally slapping her shoulder in pride; it wasn´t hard to hit a target when you had a calm hand and some supernatural gift and of course a Dad that was teaching you to handle every weapon that was invisible to carry around. Even though she had never used throwing knives for that; they had only normal knives and small daggers. " So now that you know how amazing I am, you could show me what you´ve got".

" Dude, I´m so not gonna piss her off anymore", Josh whispered to Max and Rath. He was afraid she was turning him into a female with just the flick of her wrist. Damn, that girl was too damn deadly for her own good.

Max swallowed visible, still holding tightly onto the knives in his hands. He was glad that she was in his District and on his team; otherwise he would seriously piss his pants in fear. For someone so delicate looking, she was tough as nails. " Yeah I´m with you".

Rath shook his head at them; for such tough looking guys they were too easily scared. Grasping three knives he went to the spot where Maria had been standing and smirked at her. Moving his head from side to side, to relieve a kink out of his neck, he barely glanced at the target when he threw the knives and then walked away without even looking where they stuck. He was confident enough to know that he never missed.

" Oh man, where was I when those cool skills were handed out?", Josh was in awe about the skills from both Rath and Maria. They seemed to know what they were doing. Whereas Maria had managed to hit more than one spot, Rath had put all the knives close to each other, just where the heart was supposed to be.

Maria was impressed, but didn't allow herself to show in on the outside. Giving him a cool expression, she appeared like she was rather bored. " It´s not skill if you train for it for years".

Rath was slightly getting pissed about her behavior. He knew that he made a mistake by kissing her that morning, but did she have to make such a big deal out of it? It happened and it wouldn´t again, end of story. But no, girls always had to make it into a weeklong drama, with the guy being the asshole. " Funny coming from you. I don´t believe for one moment that you were born with those skills".

" Maybe I´m really that awesome? Have you thought about that?", Maria wasn´t usually a bitch, but for once she didn´t feel any guilt for acting like one. He should be glad that she didn´t rip of his balls and fed it slowly to him.

Max was confused about the verbal battle between them. It had been so quiet with them, that they all thought the worst was over. But apparently the shit was about to hit the fan and he wasn´t exactly thrilled to be in the middle of it, especially with all these dangerous weapon within reach. So in order to stay in one piece, he decided to step in before it turned into something really ugly. " So Rath, is the force behind the throw coming from the arm, the shoulder or the wrist?".

Rath was making an impression like he would ignore the question and rather start a fight with Maria. But then he turned his whole attention on the two guys; after all he was here to train them and not waste his time with stupid arguments. " It´s a combination of all three. And of course the right stance. I´ll show you".

" Woah girl, that´s serious tension between you two. What happened?", Josh was keeping a nice distance between them, but his curiosity was just to big to ignore the question.

Maria watched Rath showing Max the right technique and as much as she thought their Instructor was a douche, that guy knew what he was talking about. It was so frustrating to her; on the one hand she thought he was the most delicious creature to ever cross her path, but on the other side she thought he was biggest jerk she ever met. " Nothing why?".

Josh had noticed the strange glanced between those two and he was sure that there was something going on. Either Rath had made advances towards her and she had put him down or the other way around, but he suspected that it was either or. " It´s a gut feeling. The sexual frustration is palpable between you and him"

" I suggest you don´t listen to your gut feeling, ever. Saves your life", Maria left his side and started with her own practice. Even though she had done something like that already, she could use a little refreshing. Her aim was a little off and she needed to be at her best when she would be going into the arena.

Rath was using every ounce of strength to concentrate on Josh and Max, even though the urge to watch Maria was almost painfully tangible. She was a pain in the ass, but she was also a really great fighter. And he had to remember that she was very young and a girl, which meant he couldn´t expect her to react like a grown up would. On the other hand, she had to be aware that this wasn´t a school party where everyone was having fun and got along great. There would be tension and hurt feelings the closer they got to the games, but that didn´t excuse to behave like a bitchy princess. Maybe he should pull her aside and talk to her; get her to understand that whatever happened, wouldn´t happen again.

Maria hated that Rath was ignoring her. Just because he had used her, didn´t mean she wouldn´t need his help. She was most likely a candidate for the games and she wanted to have the best preparation for it. But now it seemed like he was focusing all his energy on the others. Normally she wouldn´t care about it, she was very independent, but in that case she knew that she wouldn´t make it alone. So in order to get his attention, she threw the knife so that it was bouncing off the target, flew in Rath´ direction and dropped in front of his feet. " Oh sorry, must have slipped from my hand".

" Careful! You could have really hurt me", Rath was slightly startled.

Maria walked towards him and picked up the knife from the ground. She tried to appear innocently, but according to his expression, she wasn´t able to pull it off. " If I had wanted to hurt you, I would have".

Rath was just about screw his control and give her a piece of his mind when he heard a small cry of pain. Maria´s expression became alarming and before anyone could say something she was dashing out of the training room. For a few seconds he and the other two were staring at the spot she had disappeared and then without a word they followed her.

" Hey buddy; what is it?", Maria was kneeling on the floor besides Mason, who was crying while holding a hand to his face. Carefully she took it away and looked closely at the damage and was relieved when she realized it was just a little bruise on his hairline. Nothing that couldn´t be fixed with a patch. " How did you manage that?".

Mason hiccupped and pointed a finger at Zoey, who was looking guiltily at the floor. " She hit me with the toy".

Isabel felt bad for what happened, but she had to defend the little girl in that instance. It wasn´t anyone´s fault what happened. It wasn´t so unusual to get a few bruises and injuries during training; she had seen worse things, even though she knew that children had a lower tolerance for pain. " She didn´t purposely hit him. She practiced a move and Mason walked accidentally into it".

" You have to be more careful from now on", kissing him near his bruise she stood up and lifted him in her arms, which made him hold onto her tightly. " Now we´ll get to the infirmary to get you patched up; what do you say about that?".

Mason made a face at that; he hated doctors and the smell. Wiping the tears from his face, he tried to appear like everything was alright again. He didn´t want someone poking at his wound and maybe try to give him a shot or something. " I´m fine. It doesn´t hurt anymore".

Maria saw right through his lie; he was like her little brother in that regard. But she would feel better if someone would look at the injury, just in case there was some internal damage. His head wasn´t as strong as that of a grown up and a little bruise could be much more than it seemed on the outside. " I would feel more at ease we would get to the infirmary or do you want to make me worry about your health for the rest of the stay here?".

" Only if you promise that you will stay with me", Mason wanted to do everything to please her; because she was the only one he trusted completely.

Maria smiled down at him before she turned around and made her way to the infirmary. " I will be at your side the whole time", and she would stick to it and not just for the little visit to the doctor, she meant until she would go into the arena.

Mason snuggled his head on her shoulder and let her voice lull him when she told him some stories about her childhood; the first time she got hurt and the first time she had to take a trip to the towns doctor for a fall on the head. She had been scared and made a fuss the whole way and her mother was almost at the end of her patience when her friend Alex was joining them. He was holding her hand and telling her that Dr. Wallace got candy in her examination room and if she would be a good patient she would get some. That made her shut up, because she loved candy.

" You´re here again?".

Mason looked up when he heard another voice and he instantly shrank more into Maria, who was smiling at the male doctor. " Yeah, but this time it´s not me. My little friend here got a hit to his head and I want to make sure nothing is damaged".

The doctor immediately motioned for her to drop the patient on the examining table. As soon as Mason was seated, he pulled his little flashlight out of his pocket and was shining it in the young boy´s eyes. Pleased he noted that his pupils reacted normal. Then he touched the area around the bruise to make sure nothing was broken. " Are you feeling sick? Problems with your sight?".

" No", Mason winced slightly when the doctor pushed a little too hard on the tender skin on his forehead and he was glad that Maria was still holding onto his hand.

Maria watched the little guy and she was relieved when she noticed that wasn´t crying anymore. The whole incident had probably looked more severe than it was in reality. The shock of the punch had made him react so emotional. " So what´s the verdict?".

The doctor waved his hand scanner over the see if there was internal damage. But as far as he could see, there was nothing unusual on the picture. He was used to have overprotective Instructor sending the youngest chosen to him with every little injury. Most of the time it wasn´t anything serious; he was giving them a patch, some ice and sometimes a little pat on the back. " Everything is fine. Nothing an ice pack can´t cure".

" Good to hear", Maria squeezed Mason´s hand and grinned at him; trying to make him feel better. Lifting him off of the table, she put him on the ground and patted his hair. " Too bad, a little scar would have made you look tougher"

Mason was about to reply something when the doctor handed him an ice pack and a lolly; lemon flavoured, his favorite. Taking both, he smiled big at the man and instantly started to put it in his mouth. Maybe a trip to the infirmary wasn´t so bad after all.

Maria laughed at his expression and the forgotten pain. The little guy was so much like her it was scary and it was making her thinking about her brother again. Would there have been someone that would have cared for him like she was doing it for Mason? What kind of bruises would he have gotten? She didn´t even want to imagine it. Suddenly something appeared in front of her and ripped her away from her dark thoughts.

" I think you could use one, too", the doctor was holding a red lolly in his hand.

Maria tried to act like an adult; but if everything changed, one thing in her life wouldn´t; her love for candy. Snatching it, she gave the doctor a grateful smile. Putting the lolly in her mouth, she moaned when the strawberry flavor exploded on her taste buds. " See you next time".

The doctor chuckled at her words, even though he was sure that it wasn´t just a figure of speech with her. When she came to him the day before, they had talked and after what he could decipher from her personality, he would see a lot of her in the next few weeks. Add the fact that Rath was her Instructor and it was a pretty done deal. " Hopefully not too soon".

" You never know", waving at him, she took Mason´s hand and made her way outside. As soon as she closed the door behind her and turned around, she was so sure that the doctor would see her sooner than he probably thought. Quenching her sudden unease, she stared at the six chosen from the Copper Summit District.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to wondergirl4you for leaving such nice feedback. I try to update more frequently from now on. I promise.**

**Chapter 7**

Maria knew that she was in trouble and the only thought that went through her mind was that she had to make sure that Mason wouldn't be harmed. Those retards were here for her and they hopefully would not care about the young boy. " What is this? The welcoming committee? A surprise party for me?".

The guy from the Copper Summit District stepped forward and the icy smile on his face was really scary and didn´t match the expression on his face. " You think you´re so smart, but you´re just annoying".

" Oh that hurts. That really wounded my ego", Maria acted like that stung her by putting a hand over her heart before she gave him a look that said, she was just kidding. Some of the kids in her High School had called her worse name. Besides, what she did care what those idiots thought about her?

Now the girl from the Copper Summit District that had accosted her in the mess hall stepped forward at the side of the guy and her whole demeanor screamed Bitch. Her blonde hair seemed like it hadn´t seen water and soap for a few days now. " You better not talk to Nicholas that way, skank".

Nicholas smiled in gratitude at his companion for a few seconds. " Thanks Courtney, but I think I can manage this one alone", turning his attention on the girl from the Roswell District, he sneered in her direction, making an impression like she was an insect that he had to kill. " So I heard you talking to the boy from the New York District about us. He thinks we´re all half-breeds".

" Yeah and? He was just making conversation", Maria glanced quickly at Mason, wondering if he understood what they were talking about.

Nicholas walked closer to her and stopped when his shoes were meeting hers. With satisfaction he noted that she was pulling the young boy behind her while she was trying to make herself appear bigger. He had to give it to her; she was not like anyone he met before and if she wouldn´t be so annoyingly good, she would have been a nice addition. " We both know that it wasn´t just making conversation".

Maria felt her heart picking up a beat or two. Seventeen years she went through everyday hiding her secret from people and within days she was talking about half breeds with other people. She tried to hide her surprise and slipped on her stoic mask. " So what?".

" I really do admire your bravery and your smart mouth, but we can´t have people spreading rumors around us".

Maria knew that it would get ugly in the next few seconds and the only thing that she wanted was to have Mason out of the way. Turning to the little guy, she softly pushed him away from her. " Go back to the others. Don´t look back and don´t stop until you´re with them", seeing the hesitation on his young gaze, she gave him a stern look. " NOW".

Mason didn´t have a good feeling leaving her on her own, but he also knew that he wouldn´t be a big help to her. Without any word, he started to run down the hall towards the common area from the Roswell District; hoping to find Josh and Max. For a few seconds he heard a grunt and flesh colliding with flesh, but he was too scared to look back. Fearing for Maria, he strained his legs to go faster and hoped that he would find someone really fast. He hadn´t liked the look in the mean guy´s eyes; it had made his body shudder from the cold and he knew that it didn´t mean anything good. Finally hearing laughter in the distance, he felt relieved when he rounded the corner to their dorm. Unfortunately he crashed against something solid and went sprawling on the ground.

" Hey buddy, what has you in such a hurry?".

Mason was so happy to hear the voice and he instantly jumped back on his feet, grasped Rath´ arm and pulled him in the direction where he left Maria. " Trouble…Maria….Infirmary….Copper Summit District".

Rath didn´t even hesitate for a second before he ran off like the devil was after him; not even looking if the little guy was following him. He had felt something was off and add the fact that she had been out of his sight and he knew that it only meant trouble. He just hoped he wouldn´t be too late. Even from afar he could hear the unmistakable sound of fighting and it made him pick up the pace a notch. But as soon as he was in seeing distance of the whole spectacle, he slowed down to process what he was watching. The whole Copper Summit District was lying moaning on the ground while Maria, the guy from the New York District and that blonde girl from the Tucson District were high-fifing each other.

" We´re awesome".

Rath started clapping while he made his way slowly towards the three victors; even if he didn´t care so much about the other two. But it was impressive, albeit pretty reckless and it would probably start a little war between the Copper Summit District and the rest. " Well done".

Maria was slightly startled at the appearance of her Instructor and turned to him. For a moment she forgot the embarrassing scene from the morning and gave him a small smile. But then she remembered what he said to her and she frowned. Besides, smiling was hurting the small tear in her lip and the area around her cheekbone that had gotten a hit from Courtney. The girl had a mean punch, even if it hadn´t been so hard like her kick at the other blondes kidney. " What are you doing here?".

" Mason send me. He had been worried about you. Seems like it wasn´t necessary", Rath had the urge to check the girl for any other injuries, but he knew that she would probably beat him senseless if he would come too close to her.

Maria smiled at the thought of Mason getting reinforcement to help her. He had been really fast as well. " Yeah. Thankfully Laurie and Billy needed medical attention".

Laurie glared at the fallen chosen scrambling on their feet and running away. She so needed to pick a bone with them as soon as they were back on track again. What did those low lives think they were, picking a fight with a girl that was pretty outnumbered? " Yeah run away freaks! I hope for you I didn´t break a nail"

" Oh man, have you seen how fast they had gotten down?", Billy rubbed a hand over his split knuckles. It had felt really good to punch a few of them and he had liked the feeling of flesh tearing under his fist; blood spurting and the grunt of pain.

Maria was proud of what they had accomplished; but as soon as she saw Rath´ expression her smugness disappeared. Of course, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of dampening her mood so she just stared at him with a cool appearance. " What? We had to defend ourselves".

Rath lifted his hands in a –I-come-in-peace-gesture. The last thing he wanted was to put a damper on their victory; but he also wanted to keep his protégée protected. Even though he knew that she wasn´t weak, there was still the notion to keep her safe." I didn´t say anything".

" Are we in trouble now? Even though we didn´t start it?", Laurie didn´t know what the rules at this place were and if it was even allowed to pick a fight with the other chosen.

Rath glanced at the other two and he saw them worriedly staring back at him. He was sure if he would report that incident there would be consequences; for both sides. But for one, he had no intention to report this and secondly, he didn't trust anyone else in this building to be fair. Besides, a few of them would go into the arena and that was punishment enough. " No, don´t worry. Nobody´s in trouble. But I´m gonna have a word with the Instructor from the Copper Summit District. I have finally enough from their bullying".

Maria was sure that was going down like a bucket of vomit. Like their Instructor would care about that a little trouble between his charges and one girl from the Roswell District. The guy probably hated her as much as the chosen were. " Do you think that will do any good?".

" No, but I will feel better. I can´t stand the guy anyway and I can use a good reason to piss him off", Rath gave her one of his famous crooked smiles. He was always glad when he had a reason to pick a fight with someone he had strong negative feelings for.

Maria didn´t like the gleam in his eyes and the slight joyful expression on his face, but before she could tell him to not do anything remotely stupid, he had turned and was walking down the corridor with a determination that was making her afraid. Glancing at the other two, she wondered if they were thinking the same. " I don´t have a good feeling".

**Level Copper Summit District**

Rath hadn´t been here so often, but still enough to know where he had go. Marching through the empty floor and keeping his gaze steadily in front of him, he was highly amused when he saw his target standing in his line; apparently not very happy about the state his chosen were in. He promised to have a little moment of regret for them when he had the time.

" Oh wonderful! You are the last person I want to see. You come here to gloat?".

Rath smiled widely and his whole face seemed to glow in delight. It had been so long that he had reason to delve into his rather dark emotions. It was time that he made sure that his reputation as a pretty bad ass Instructor was renewed again. " Actually no, but when I look at those pitiful excuses of human beings, I can´t not gloat".

The Instructor from the Copper Summit District looked at his opponent with his almost black eyes and the sneer on his face was more telling than the cool stance. " You know if I report this, there will be consequences for your chosen".

" You won´t report that, Zan".

Zan raised his right eyebrow and crossed his muscled arms over his chest. He was curios about the reason he wouldn´t do it. " And why are you so sure about that?".

Rath copied his stance; just a little more relaxed. He spared a quick glance at the heap of chosen, nursing their small wounds and their broken egos. If they would have been nice people, he would have cared about them, but he knew where they were from and that any emotions aside from anger and hate wasn´t in their repertoire. " You want anyone to know that you´re six charges got beaten from three other? Especially knowing that two of them were girls?".

" So what are you doing here then?", Zan wondered what the guy was doing here when he had been so sure that he wasn´t going to report the attack. What other reason could there be?

Rath stepped closer to the other guy until he was almost in his face. He didn´t raise his voice or threaten bodily harm. All he did was hold steady eye contact with him and it was apparently enough to get his intention across. " If one of your chosen is anywhere near my charges again it´s open hunting season for them. I will put anyone just looking funny at one of mine into the infirmary for indefinitely period of time".

Zan wasn´t backing down or made an impression like he was scared, but the unmistakable bobbing of his Adam´s apple when he swallowed was enough indication that he understood the direness of the situation; especially coming from the other guy. " You would get in trouble for that"

" You have to confuse me with someone who gives a shit", Rath didn´t care so much about his own life. He would be gone before anyone would realize what he had done. There were enough places he could crash, places no one aside from him knew about. " Remember my words. Either you put a leash on them or you will see them in a body bag next time", with that he turned around and made his way back to his level.

**Common room Roswell District**

Maria was sitting near the window and was glancing outside. There weren´t any other buildings anywhere near them and all she could see was trees, a lot of free land and the horizon. The sun was finally going down and painted everything in warm colors. This felt slightly like home to her; she had always watched the sky in the evening; watched everything getting dipped into darkness. It had been the only time she had to herself; where she could think about her life and dwell on plans for the future. Now it seemed that there would be no future for her anymore. In a few weeks she would be either dead or ready for the loony bin; neither option sounded very appealing to her.

" How is your lip?".

Maria didn´t react to the voice; even before she saw his reflection in the window she had felt his presence. Not even turning around, she continued staring at the silent world outside her expensive prison. " Fine".

Rath stepped in the room and made his way towards the sitting arrangement. He felt like he needed to be close to her; needed to make sure that she was alright. It was a strange feeling and he wasn´t entirely comfortable with it. Emotions were a weakness he couldn´t afford in this world; one he didn´t want either. But yet here he was, following the girl like a creepy stalker; worrying about her and wondering what she was thinking about when she was this silent. " Care if I join you?".

" Do whatever you want", finally she glanced at him when he sat beside her. The first thing she noticed about him was that he seemed a little off; even for his standards it was strange. " I see no blood on you, so that means the conversation with the Instructor from the Copper Summit District was peaceful".

Rath chuckled at the choice of words. Peaceful and him didn´t go together in the same sentence; nothing about him was peaceful. " There wasn´t any violence, but I can assure you he got the message loud and clear".

Maria turned her body so that she was facing him; putting her head on the backrest of the sitting arrangement and really giving him her whole attention. He was very attractive, which she couldn´t deny, but that wasn´t what made her notice him. It was the way he was carrying himself, so sure of himself and his place in this world. He seemed larger than life and a force to be reckoned with. " I really believe that. The poor guy´s ears must be still ringing".

" Sometimes a whispered threat can be more effective than a screamed one", Rath noted that her face looked even more angelic when the shine of the moon was hitting her porcelain skin; her eyes that were glowing bright green when she was pissed were now a tone darker and even more alluring.

Maria wished they would be just normal people in a normal place; just two crazy people meeting each other and seeing where the rising attraction was getting them. Well, according to the scene this morning it would probably not get anywhere anyway and she was just interpreted too much into the whole thing. " Remember that the next time you scream orders at me".

Rath laughed heartily; glad that despite all the obstacles put in her path, her wit wasn´t dampened from it. She was a real piece of art and even though he didn´t want get too attached to his charges, he thought it was too late with her. " You need that encouragement".

" Oh you know me so well already?", Maria´s expression shifted from amused to annoyed within seconds. He was talking about her like he hadn´t hurt her feelings just hours ago by saying kissing her was a mistake and was just done to keep her mouth shut.

Rath knew instantly that he had to choose his words carefully or he had one pissed off female on his hands and after the day he had, he just wanted to spend the rest of the evening in peace. He was maybe more of the action kind of guy, but even he needed a little quiet once in a while; especially when he had to watch out for someone like her. " I´m only so rough with you, because the arena will be worse than anything you will ever experience. Cuddling will get you nowhere; I want you to toughen up and be prepared to take the pressure"

Maria saw the shadows of his past crossing over his eyes and she wondered how much of his time in the arena he was carrying around day for day. Was that the reason why he was so adamant about not forming any relationship with anyone? " Is that the reason why you push people away from you?".

" You´re talking about this morning, aren´t you?", Rath sighed while he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. It was finally time to face the music. " Believe me, if we would have met in the Roswell District, I would have been constantly all over you. But here in this world, feelings are only slowing you down, giving those aliens something to hold against you. I can´t afford to care for someone, especially someone that will be a sure candidate for the Fighting Games".

Maria was taken aback that he was so honest and open with her; telling her in a roundabout way that he wasn´t so unaffected from the kiss than he had let on. He was just scared about letting someone in his heart and then losing them again. " But what kind of life will that be? Lonely and cold".

Rath would take that as long as it kept him alive and outside of the radar from the aliens. They were just waiting to have something they could hold over his head. Until now they had nothing to keep him in line and he preferred it that way. " Loneliness is building character".

" Like you need more character".

Rath chuckled at her comeback; she had always a witty response for him. Before the arena and the things he experienced, he would have courted her and done anything to make her his. But now, he guarded his feelings in order to protect himself and those around him. " You can never have too much character. In your case, a little more couldn´t hurt you".

Maria flipped him the finger; glad that he was back to his own, nasty self. " Screw you; I´m perfect".

" Have you met you?", Rath loved to antagonize her to the point where she was getting really ticked off and starting calling him names. It was usually a nice distraction and he was always in awe how creative her names were getting.

Maria thought it was finally time to hit the sac and get some rest before they started to tear each other apart; which was most likely the case with them. As soon as they were alone the sexual tension was hitting the roof and was making them snappier." I think that´s my cue to go", Maria wanted to stand up gracefully and give him a nice view on the things he would never get with his personality. Unfortunately she was anything but gracefully and instead of getting on her feet, she staggered.

Rath immediately saw that she was about to either fall painfully on her the side or could seriously hurt herself on the table in front of her. Quickly grasping her hand in order to stabilize her, he only managed to drag her in his lap. For a moment both didn´t realize what was going on and then their eyes met. The sparks were instantly flying and the air was crackling with energy.

Simultaneously they both crashed against each other in a brutal kiss. Rath was cradling her head while she was framing his face. Their mouths were battling for dominance, their hands grasping and pulling at hair. The sound of low moans was the only sound in the quiet of the darkened room quietly followed by the noise of clothes hitting the floor.

" Rath, we´ve got to…..", Isabel stopped in the doorway at the picture of a half naked Maria sitting on a half naked Rath. Her eyes almost bugged out of head and her mouth was forming a silent O.

Maria instantly jumped away from Rath, got her shirt from the ground and hurried past a flabbergasted Isabel. All the way back to the dorms she was shaking her head and was wondering what had gotten into her. She wasn´t usually the girl that was making out with a guy or lost her marbles over one. The one thing that she liked about herself the best had been her ability to not let her feelings or her urges dictate her actions, well at least in regards to her love life or men in general. Her father and her brothers had never lost sleep over her in that direction and she had been okay with it as well. She never saw the boys for more than just someone to hang out with or have fun with, of course purely in a platonic way. Not until she met Rath; mysterious, quiet and darkly alluring Rath. There was something with him that was hitting her deep inside her body. He was looking at her with his intense brown eyes and it was like he was having a direct link to her libido. Just thinking about his hands and the way he had been holding her was making her mind run amuck. Growling low in her throat, she pondered to hammer her head at the nearest wall to get rid of her thoughts. She was here to learn how to survive in the arena and not how to score with a guy. She had to get her priorities straight and act responsible from now on. No kissing or touching or letting her mind wander at this point; just training, learning, sleeping and eating; nothing more and nothing less.

The others were thankfully asleep when she rushed past their beds and went to the bathroom and closed the door softly behind her. When she caught the reflection of herself she gasped at the flushed face with the red, swollen lips and the tousled hair staring back at her. Breathing deeply in and out, she braced herself on the sink and tried to get her feelings under control again. When that didn´t happen, she splashed some cold water on her face over and over again until she was sure that she wouldn't pass out from the anxiety. Then she put her night clothes on and made her way to bed; knowing that she wouldn´t find any sleep tonight, but hoping that the morning would bring her more clarity and strength to pull through this task of keeping to her promise.

Meanwhile Rath was calmly pulling his shirt over his head while he still felt the hard stare from his friend. He knew that she was probably processing what she saw and waited until her brain caught up with her mouth to confront him with it. He didn´t know why he had done what he had done; but damn it had felt good and so right. He could still smell her scent on him and taste her in his mouth. Turning around, he adjusted his hard on in his pants to stop it from rubbing him the wrong way and making him even harder.

" Are you out of your freaking mind? I told you it´s not so bad to have a connection with your chosen, but I didn´t mean it like that!".

Rath sighed; brushed his hair back with both hands and then whirled around. His face didn´t betray his conflicting emotions tumbling inside him. He was like always in control of his feelings and had put up his walls around him again. " It was just a one time deal and won´t happen again. No need to worry about it".

Isabel gave him her best –are-you-shitting-me-glare. She had heard a lot of crap over the years, but this was topping everything by far. " I thought the same when I saw you this morning on the tracks. But apparently you can´t keep your lips away from hers".

" It´s not a big deal. So I slipped twice, I will make sure it won´t happen a third time", or at least he tried to. Not sure if his libido and his brain would be cooperating with him in that regard, but he would make an attempt to keep his hands away from Maria.

Isabel shook her head before she decided to drop the subject. She wasn´t here to lecture him on proper behavior; she had something more dire to tell him. Besides, she wouldn´t get anywhere with him at this point, everything she said would be blocked and brushed under the carpet anyway. " Whatever. There is a last-minute meeting for the Instructors down in the lobby".

Rath´s heart was plummeting into his pants and he instantly thought about Zan. Had he rated him out to the aliens? Was he getting punished for threatening a fellow Instructor? Would he have enough time to pack his few belongs and get lost before anyone would notice him gone? " What is it about?".

" No clue. So let´s get down there and find out".

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to wondergirl4you and bjq for the nice feedback. You guys rock!**

**Chapter 8**

Isabel and Rath were the last to arrive at the lobby; every instructor from the ten different Districts was present; standing around and waiting for the meeting to start. Some were talking to each other and some were giving their opponent the evil eye. Zan instantly smirked at Rath when he saw him.

" Why is Zan smiling at you?", Isabel knew that both men couldn´t stand each other and were often clashing together when they met.

Rath thought about being the better man and ignoring the provocation thrown his way, but then he remembered that he wasn´t a better man and flipped him the middle finger before turning to his friend; knowing that she would probably not approve of his childish behavior. " He thinks he has something to hold against me".

Isabel shook his head at them both. Zan wasn´t her favorite person, but she didn´t understand what the guy had against her friend. There was something more going on than just rivalry between two Districts and she was curios to find out what it was. " And what´s that?".

" Nothing that you have to worry about", Rath was saved from further questions when President Kivar was stepping on a small stage so that he was looking down at all the people. Rath didn´t have a good feeling whenever the President from the Capitol was present and he usually avoided being anywhere near that man, even though as part of the Prep Team he was bound to cross pass with the guy.

Isabel watched the instructors from the Copper Summit and Las Cruces District straightening their stances and listening intently. Both Districts were the boot lickers for the Capitol, always doing everything to please the President. In return they were living better lives than most of the people from the other Districts. She hated them just for selling their souls to the devil; even though she had to admit Kivar was charismatic and not bad for the eyes. But she would never change, not for him or for anyone else.

Rath tried to keep his nervous feelings from appearing on the outside. He knew that Zan wouldn´t have told anyone about his defeat, but the President was usually a sure sign of bad news and it usually involved the chosen in some way or another.

" Hello friends. I know you´re wondering why I´m here, especially when you´re still in the trainings phase", he let his eyes wander over the instructors like he gave a damn about their opinion. " But I wanted to get the news as soon as possible to you so that you can prepare your chosen for it. This year we have a new selection procedure for the candidates for the Fighting Games. All those years we had a team of people to watch the chosen and assess their skills. But this year we will let the audience from the Fighting Games choose the candidates for the arena".

Several instructors voiced their protest about the unfairness of the procedure. That it wasn´t exactly smart to let people choose, who just saw the fun in the games and not the seriousness of it all. They would vote for someone they liked or disliked because of their character and not their skills.

Rath was constantly shaking his head and mumbling about shit decisions and the people behind it. How could those bastards send someone in the arena, not knowing how they would fare in it? They didn´t take into consideration how good their chances to survive was; they just saw their favorite or the most hated person. " They can´t do that!".

" You see that they can", Isabel was just as appalled about the decision, but she knew that she couldn´t change a thing, so she saved her breath for something that she would be able to influence; like telling her chosen how to stay alive.

Rath glanced at the girl beside him and he wondered how she could be so calm when he felt like ripping someone apart with his bare hands. Didn´t she realize what this decision would mean for their protégées? Maria had just been changed from almost sure to absolutely sure about going into the arena. " How can you just take it so easily?".

Isabel put a hand on his arm, partly to restrain him from doing anything stupid and partly for his comfort. She saw the anguish in his eyes and she remembered the debacle with another chosen the year she won. She and Serena had been sent into the Fighting Games. Only she came back from the arena. " Because whatever objections we may have, it won´t matter to those people. All we can do is to prepare everyone so good that it won´t matter who get´s selected".

" Dammit, I know you´re right. But still I feel like going on up there and wringing the Presidents neck until it´s hanging backwards".

Isabel hid her smile behind her hand; grumpy Rath was always a fun sight, even if the situation was pretty serious at this point. But for one she thought that they had a fair shot at winning the Games this year with three perfect candidates. The chances that they would lose both of their Chosen was low. " Don´t do that; that would be treason and they would kill you without blinking".

Rath was aware of that, but it would be worth it in the end. Yet, he didn´t want to die, not before he made sure that his Chosen would be able to hold their own in the arena. " One day Izzy, one day someone will have the guts to go against the President and I will watch him fall with a smile on my face".

" Man, you need to get laid badly", Isabel saw the others scatter in the direction of their accommodations and followed them.

Rath glared at her back and then he trailed after her. Before he left the lobby, he caught the worried glance from the Gamemaker and wondered how that happened. Nasedo wasn´t one for showing any emotions and it made him uneasy to see it now. Something was telling him that the bad news wouldn´t stop here.

**Trainings room next morning**

Maria felt like crap; the sleepless night and the tormenting thoughts had taken a toll on her. The dark circles under her eyes were so deep that not even a ton of concealer would have covered it up and her mood was just as dark. She wasn´t so sure how she should behave with Rath; should she act like nothing happened or tell him to stop kissing her or ask him if he could make love to her like there was no tomorrow.

" Are you okay?", Liz had noticed for two days now that something was troubling the other girl. It was something different from the worry about the Fighting Games; something that she suspected had to do with the strange glances the blonde was exchanging with their instructor.

Maria smiled tiredly at her new friend; wishing for a moment she could confide in someone. It would probably help her a lot if she had another person at her side who she could talk to, someone like her best friend Alex. " I just gotten not enough sleep".

Liz wasn´t so sure if she should push the matter; she didn´t have so much experience with girlfriends, all her life she had been keeping her nose in her books or was helping out at her parents café. But she felt like the girl needed a shoulder to cry on. " I know we don´t know each other for that long, but I´m a great listener and I´m very discreet. It usually helps to confide your worries to someone".

" Thanks for the offer, but I´m fine, really. Nothing a good night's sleep and some rest won´t cure".

Liz knew that it wasn´t the truth, but she didn´t want to anger the other girl, so she dropped the topic and instead focused her attention to the rest of the room. Her eyes lit up as soon as she spotted Max smiling at her. It was so surreal when she thought that she finally found the guts to have a conversation with him; especially at this place.

Maria´s curiosity was peeked. She had noticed both of them sneaking glances at each other and cuddling when they thought no one was around. It was kinda cute to watch them, even if this wasn´t the exactly a hotspot for dating. " So you and Max, he? He´s one of the good guys".

" Oh we´re not….", Liz tried to find a plausible excuse for her behavior; unfortunately nothing was coming to her mind at this moment. She had never been good at lying. " Okay, we are, but we want to keep it to ourselves for now".

Maria could sympathize with the girl; just with the difference that she and Rath weren´t exactly together in that sense. They just found each other drawn together and couldn´t keep their hands off of the other; like there was a magic pull that was attracting them. " It´s cool; I think you both are really cute together".

Liz felt a flush spreading over her cheeks and she would have probably tried to cover it with her hands when Rath and Isabel wouldn´t have marched into the training room with an expression that was screaming loudly of bad news.

" Listen people, there´s been a change into the selection for the arena. From tomorrow on our trainings will be streamed live to the people of the Capitol. Those people can vote for their favorite candidate to go in the arena, which means your personality will be a factor for the selection and not your skills", Rath had to do everything in his powers to control his anger and not glance in Maria´s direction; knowing that in a few weeks she could be dead or so badly damaged that it would have been better to die.

Max and Liz instantly exchanged worried glances with each other. Until now they had been so sure that if they just did what was expected so that they were good, but not the best they could beat the system and be sent home at the end of the training. But now they had to fear that the audience wanted to see them in the arena. Simultaneously their eyes traveled to Maria, who was dumbstruck staring at their instructor. She had probably come to the same conclusion as them. Everyone else would be scared about the decision, but they had a chance to get spared. Maria didn´t have so much luck; it was already a done deal that she would be going.

Isabel could practically feel the tension in the room and she glanced at Rath´s back, knowing that he was taking this really hard. No matter how tough he was always acting, underneath all that was still that scared little boy that had gone into the arena. " I know it´s a shock, but I think we have to redouble our efforts from now on. The audience will not care about gender, age or shape. You all have to be at your best and let´s face it, the best is still not enough".

" Isabel is right; we have to step up the training a few notches. There will be more tears, more pain and a lot more cursing, but this will better for you in the long run", Rath mulled over what bases they still had to cover and how much time they still had. It would be a tight fit, but when they would do more hours, they could manage it.

Maria didn´t hear anything; after the words live streaming and voting she had stopped listening. Her heart was pounding so loud in her ears that she was sure anyone else could hear it as well. Her vision was flickering and her mouth was suddenly very dry. For a moment she was afraid that she would be throwing up or fainting and everyone would see it.

Then her eyes met Rath´s and she saw the concern in them. Without a word she stormed out; away from the people she had started to care about, away from the guy that had evoke something inside her that she had never felt before and away from the knowledge that her short life would be over in a few weeks. Her family would never see her again, at least not alive; she would never hear Theo´s complains about her kisses, never feel the warmth from her mother´s embrace, never be blessed to listen to her father´s wisdoms, never got teased from Sean about her small height or never exchange amused glances with Kyle when Tess did something funny. She would be gone and everyone would be there live when it happened; everyone she knew would be the witness to her demise.

Finally Maria´s legs gave out and she collapsed outside at a tree near the running track. Tears were streaming down her face and she let out a scream that probably scared any wildlife around her. It was not fair; she was still too young to die. She hadn´t lived long enough to enjoy her youth or done things she would regret someday. " IT´S NOT FAIR! I´M NOT READY TO DIE!"

" And you won´t; I´ll make sure of it".

Maria looked up at the voice and instantly wished she hadn´t. The last thing she wanted for Rath to see her like that; all weak and blubbering like an idiot. He had probably followed her to make sure she didn´t try to escape or something. " What are you doing here?".

Rath walked carefully closer to her and sat beside her. He had never had so much trouble chasing a girl before and some part of him was annoyed with himself for acting like a pansy. " Making sure you´re okay".

" I´m fine; I will be dead in a few weeks, but thanks for making sure that I´m okay", Maria snapped while wiping furiously at her face. She immediately felt bad for her outburst, but she thought that she had a right to be bitchy at this point and she would apologize later for it when she was in a better mood.

Rath knew exactly what was going on inside her and he wasn´t offended with her snappy comment. Considering what was ahead of her it was expected. He had been at that point as well and even though he had suspected that they would send him into the arena, there had been still a little hope that he would get lucky. She didn´t have that luxury anymore. " I wish I could tell you that everything will be fine, but we both know that life isn´t like that. All I can offer you is to give you my whole support all the way through".

Maria turned her attention on him and she was struck speechless for a moment. The way he spoke was so gentle and fierce at the same time; like he wanted to make sure that she would get through the arena with no problems. And she wanted to believe it so bad. Not for her, but for her family and for Theo. " I´m so scared. I try to act tough in front of the others, but the truth is I´m afraid".

" That´s a normal reaction. I would be worried if you wouldn´t be scared. But you´re not alone in this", in an unusual gesture for him, he took her cold hand in his own and gave it a squeeze. It was all he could do for her; give her the feeling that no matter what, she didn´t have to go through all that alone.

Maria glanced down at their interlaced fingers and she felt instantly the sparks from last night; but this time it wasn´t the sexual tension erupting between them, it was something deeper and much stronger. His presence calmed her down and made her feel safe. Lifting her gaze, her glittering green eyes met his fierce brown ones. " I wish I could believe that".

Rath knew that what he would be doing was very wrong; but he probably didn´t have enough time to waste anymore. Time was running out and for once, his head and his heart were in agreement. Screw those aliens and screw everyone trying to tell him what to do. Getting to his feet and pulling Maria up as well, he led her away from the building and the running tracks.

" Where are we going?", Maria was slightly scared; not of him but about not knowing what was going on and where he was leading her.

Rath just motioned for her to keep quiet, but didn´t say anything. Not letting go of her hand, he stealthily made his way towards a little shed that was standing close to the invisible electrical fence surrounding the area. It looked like it was slowly falling apart on the outside, but when they both stepped through the door he noticed that Maria was surprised about the neat appearance on the inside.

Maria let her eyes wander around the room and she was stunned when she saw that the space was almost bare, but clean and the walls around them were covered in something that looked like black granite and very expensive. Slowly she ran her fingertip over the surface and she was stunned how smooth it was and strangely not so cold like she imagined it. She turned around and found a mattress lying at the far wall, it was well used, but seemed to be still doing its job. " Okay, I have to tell you something first; I´m not going to sleep with you, if that´s what this is about".

" What? No", Rath followed her gaze and he saw the mattress that had been here since he had been a chosen and his instructor had given him special trainings. Looking back at her, he was relieved to see that she clearly believed him. " This place is only for extraordinary people such as you".

Maria was just about to ask him what he meant with that, when he closed the shutters on the windows with a flick of his wrist, turning everything around them into darkness. Only her unusual gift to see in the dark was keeping her from freaking out. " I swear if your other hand will be anywhere near my body, I will emasculate you".

The only response from Rath was a heartily chuckle before a few candles were lit simultaneously, bathing the inside of the shed into a warm glow. " As tempting as it is to have my way with you, I brought you here for a different reason".

" Which is?".

Rath let go of her hand, which he had been holding onto until this moment and then went towards the mattress. Hauling the thing in the middle of the room, he had to bite back a laugh when he saw the annoyed expression crossing over Maria´s face. She still thought he had led her here to have sex with her, which as tempting as it was, couldn´t be further from the truth. " You´ve got one advantage the other chosen don´t have. You´re a half-breed, which means you´ve got alien powers and I brought you here to show you some neat tricks that will help you".

Maria felt for a moment a tiny spark of panic at the mention of half-breed. But then she remembered that he had been the one moving things with just a flick of his wrist, which meant he was one as well. " But what if anyone notice something?".

" This shed is soundproof and can withstand a tornado; besides everyone is so busy with the new rules that they won´t notice what´s going on here", Rath had gotten his first lesson in alien power 101 at his place, which had been actually rather funny considering his instructor was just human and didn´t have any alien powers himself.

Maria still felt slightly uncomfortable; all those years of hiding her unusual gift in front of strangers was hard to overcome, even though she knew that Rath wasn´t exactly a threat to her. And to top of it, she didn't have exactly control over powers, aside from trying to quench it when needed. " I´m not sure about this. What if anyone notice that I´m using alien powers? They will have me dead faster than I´m comfortable with".

Rath stepped closer to her and put both hands on her shoulders. If there was one thing for sure, he would make sure that no one was laying a hand on her as long as she was here and not in the arena. It would be a little hard to sneak away, but he was sure they would manage to include some extra hours for that. " I won´t let that happen; that´s the reason why we´re here. I learned to control my powers in here with my instructor".

" You´re instructor was a half-breed as well?".

Rath shook his head at her. That was the strange thing about everything, but at the time he hadn´t asked too many questions. And yet he had wondered all those years what happened to the man and how he would never be able to repay him for helping him. " No, he was human. But he told me that he had two children with some abilities".

Maria stepped back from him and walked around the shed; she needed to digest all the information and she couldn´t do when Rath was so close to her; smelling so damn good and looking at her with his butterscotch eyes. It was so weird that her whole life she had thought that she would never find anyone else like her, well aside from her brother Sean. Now she found out her instructor was a half-breed as well. " Are you still in contact with him?".

" No, the year I won was his last year as an instructor. He said that he wanted to spend more time with his family. He had three sons and one daughter", he had seen a picture once and he had been jealous about the happy family while he had a father who was almost always drunk or didn´t care about him that much.

Maria whirled around at mention of that. Her father had been an instructor until seven years ago; he had three sons and a daughter. Coincidence? She didn´t think so; everything was fitting so perfectly. The only thing she couldn´t quite understand was the name changing? " You´re Michael Guerin".

Rath stumbled back like her words had slapped him in the face. For a moment he paled and the urge to run was overwhelming. It had been years that anyone had called him with his real name, a name he despised and that had been dragging him down for so long. Now it was just a reminder that he never wanted to be that person ever again. " How do you know that?".

" My father had been your instructor", Maria couldn´t believe it. There had been rumors in the Roswell District that Michael Guerin had been either imprisoned or had been long since died in some ditch outside the fence.

Rath shook his head in wonder; totally in awe how small the world was and how big the odds had been that something like that would happen. But now that he took a closer look, he saw the small girl with the blonde pigtails that had glared at the camera, in Maria. Only she had finally grown up and was now glaring at him instead. " You´re Jim Valenti´s daughter?", then a thought occurred to him. " But your last name is Deluca?".

Maria was used to that; she had the speech almost memorized by now. Everyone knowing her was aware of her family situation, but everyone else was most of time a little confused. " Okay here is the short version. My Dad died when I was four. My Mom met Jim two years later; they fell in love and married, Jim gave us the choice to take his name or keep our last name. Sean, my brother was against changing his last name and I followed him".

" And now? You´re finally old enough to choose for yourself; didn´t you ever regret your decision?", Rath could still remember the way Jim had talked about his crazy bunch and how much he had adored his little girl that was giving him a run for his money.

Maria never thought about that actually, she was official a Deluca, but she felt like a Valenti. There had never been a diversion between her and her other siblings. They were a family, even if two of them had a different last time. She didn´t care about names so much; all she cared about was that she loved them and they loved her. " Actually no; we´re a family regardless of the name. Jim is my father, Kyle and Theo are my brothers, even if we don´t share the same blood".

Rath wished he could say the same about his family. He was an only child; his mother died a few days before his 9th birthday and his father had started to lose his grip on life after his wife passed away and just cared about his next buzz. " That must be nice".

" I heard the rumors about you. Is it true that your Dad had abused you?", as soon as the words left her mouth she felt like she overstepped a boundary. It wasn´t something you asked someone you barely knew. " I´m sorry, you don´t have to answer that. It´s not my business".

Rath sighed loudly and for once he thought that it would be nice to not carry that burden alone on his shoulders. For whatever reason, he had the urge to confide in her, tell her about his past, a past that was still haunting him in his dreams. " My Dad was a drunken bastard, who cared more about his alcohol than his son. When I was lucky he passed out somewhere and left me alone. But most of the time he only saw all his problems in me. I was the reason his life went downhill and he let me feel that every day. Sometimes with words and sometimes with his first, belt or something else he could find".

Maria couldn´t understand that someone could do something so cruel to another being. She knew life wasn´t rainbows and sunshine all the time, but how could a person treat his own blood and flesh like that? Maybe her life was too sheltered for her to grasp that concept, but she thought it was wrong. " Why didn´t anyone help you? Why did no one interfere? You had been just a child".

" I hid the bruises or said I fell when someone saw them. No one suspected something until I was getting older. But at that point, no one didn´t dare trying to get in between the village drunk and his rebellious son", he had felt the pity stares all the time, but one day he hadn´t cared about that anymore.

Maria finally realized that he was the way he was now partly because of the arena, but mostly because of his early childhood. While she had only received love and compassion from both parents, he had been neglected and abused from his father. No wonder not on soul had mourned the loss of Hank Guerin two years ago and she was glad that he was gone, as bad as it sounded to think something cruel about a dead person. " That´s the reason why you changed your name and you don´t form any attachment to others".

Rath was slightly stunned that he felt relieved; relieved that his secret was out and he didn´t need to fear that she could discover it and pity him. But all he could see in her glance was acceptance and comprehension; something he didn´t see that often directed at him. " You still can´t get over the fact that I told the kiss meant nothing, can you?".

" Well I don´t let anyone kiss me you know; so to let you that close to me means something to me", Maria was glad that the serious conversation was slowly making place for another topic that had bothered her, even though they had went over it the night before, but some parts were still bothering her.

Rath stepped closer to her and for once his walls weren´t raising up to protect him. He was nervous, but not afraid anymore. Putting a hand on her cheek he smiled at her perplexed expression. She hadn´t expected him to do that. " I don´t just kiss anyone either. It meant as much to me as it did to you".

Maria didn´t know what to say and that was something that had never happened. She wasn´t one to swoon, but she thought that maybe now was the first time for that. Her heart was beating so loud and her hands started sweating. " What changed? You were so adamant about ignoring what happened between us that I already thought I dreamed that all up".

" Last night when I heard about the new rules and I realized that you were a sure candidate for the games my first thought was that in a few weeks you would be in the arena and I would probably never see you again. When the realization set in, I felt like someone squeezed the air out of my lungs. I never had that with any of my protégées before. At first it scared me and I was trying to fight it. But now I´m more afraid of letting you passing me by and maybe lose a great opportunity at something wonderful".

Maria was floored about his speech and a tear was trailing down her cheek. No one had ever told her something so beautiful and honest. Cupping his face with both hands she kissed him with such tenderness that it even surprised her that they were capable of being this sweet with each other. " Thank you".

Rath tried to get his mind back on track; the kiss had blown his freaking brain out in the orbit and it didn´t have anything to do with sex, even though that was 90 percent of the time the only thing occupying his mind when Maria was in close proximity. But this kiss, it had been different from the other times and he had liked it. " For what?".

" For being so sweet", Maria pinched his right cheek, knowing full well that it was probably not sitting well with him; but she wanted to defuse the seriousness of the moment.

Rath wrenched his face away from her and swatted at her hands when she tried to pinch him again and not just at his facial area. He had to protect his body from her swift fingers and despite his resolve to keep a straight face, he couldn´t keep himself from laughing. " Damn woman, stop it. And don´t call me sweet again. I´m not sweet. I´m a badass".

Maria finally managed to swat his bottom, something she had wanted to do the first moment she had met him and she had to admit; there were really perks to his training. His butt was really firm and just too good to pass touching it. " Yeah your ass is so bad I could spank it all day".

" On that note, we´re better go before I put you over my knee and spank your butt", Rath gestured for her to walk and when she passed him, he couldn´t help it and slapped her bottom. Laughing at the glare directed at him over her shoulder, he put the shed in the state it had been before they came and then followed her.

Maria was really tempted to pout and ignore him for his stunt. Her ass was slightly throbbing from the slap; the guy probably forgot how strong he was. But then she saw something that was putting all that in the back of her mind. One of the Gamemakers was walking towards her and she feared for a moment that they would get in trouble for sneaking away. " Oh shit!".

Rath was about to put his arm around her middle and ask her what she was talking about when he noticed Nasedo was making his way to them. Keeping his distance, he hoped that they didn´t look like they had done something forbidden. " Don´t say anything; let me do the talking".

" No problem", she didn´t even know her own name at this point, so she wouldn´t be in any way capable to say one sentence that would make any sense. Fear had made her whole body freeze and her brain to shut down momentarily.

Rath put himself barely noticeable in front of her; trying to shield her to some extent and be able to protect her if the guy was trying something. He hadn´t heard anything bad about Nasedo, but that didn´t mean he would trust any of those aliens. They were all the same to him and if you valued your life, you tried to make as minimal contact with them as you could. " Hello Nasedo. We were about to just head back. She made an attempt to escape, but I could convince her to stay. This will never happen again, I promise".

Nasedo barely glanced at him and just kept his focus on the girl behind him. His expression wasn´t giving anything away and it was scarier than anything else. " I want to talk to you", turning his eyes finally on Rath, he gave him a stern look. " Alone".

" She´s under my protection, anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of me", Rath wouldn´t let her out of his sight with an alien. No, that creature had to go through him if he wanted to talk to her.

At that Nasedo´s face showed some human look. He´s eyes darkened and it seemed like his body was getting slightly bigger. Stepping closer to the young boy, he stared him down with his angry expression and the intent behind it. " you will go or I tell the president what you´ve been doing here with her. Don´t think I didn´t notice you´re interest in that girl"

Before Rath could throw out a smartass response, Maria interfered and put a hand on his arm to keep him from doing something stupid. She didn´t want to cause any harm to him, not because of her. As hard as it was, but she knew that they wouldn´t do any harm to her, they still needed her for their sick game. " It´s okay. I´ll come to the training room as soon as possible".

" Are you sure?", Rath whispered to her. When he saw her nod he willed his legs to walk away from her. He didn´t have a good feeling about that, but if he would make a fuss they would not just have something to hold over him, but they would probably punish her in some way. For a while they held eye contact until Maria turned her attention to the Gamemaker. Forcing his head to not to turn, he made his way back to the others, hoping that he hadn´t made a huge mistake by leaving her alone.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

Maria stared at the Gamemaker; trying not to look scared or like she had done something wrong. Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave him the impression like she was bored and couldn´t wait until this conversation was over and she could go back to her training; even though she was shaking like a leaf on the inside. The way Nasedo was gazing back at her wasn´t helping her either. It was like he was trying to memorize her. It was unnerving and she felt like doing something just to avoid his attention.

" You look like your father", carefully he stretched his arm out and put it on her face, the same place Rath had done a few moments earlier. " you have his eyes and nose. And that same defiant look", a quiet chuckle escaped his mouth, lightening his expression.

Maria sucked in a sharp breath at the mention of her father and she had to do everything in her power not to step back from him. He hadn´t been the first one to tell her that she was a replica of her biological father, but he was the first alien that had ever expressed that to her face. " You knew my real Dad?"

Nasedo nodded and for a moment his eyes were clouded with something dark before it vanished as fast as it had come. Then he smiled at her, a real smile and it was transforming his whole person into another being; it wasn´t so normal for aliens to display any human expressions. " Yes, he was my son".

" Son? That means you´re my…grandfather?".

Nasedo was amused about her reaction, but glad that she wasn´t so disgusted like he had imagined. He knew what humans or half-breeds really thought about them and he couldn´t blame them for that; his race hadn´t been exactly nice to them from the beginning and he wasn´t the only one to think like that. Unfortunately voicing their opinion hadn´t never been clever and some had disappeared forever. " I wish we would have met under different circumstances".

Maria didn´t know what to do; should she embrace him or slap him or just faint. All of those were an option at this point, because she felt like she was in some alternative universe. Breathing deeply in and out to keep the slight panic at bay, she decided to try to act like her Dad would do. " Why have I never heard anything about you? I knew I had a grandfather, but you never made contact, not even when my father died. Where have you been?".

" It´s complicated, I shouldn´t even be here with you, but believe me when I say it was safer for you and your family that I stayed away. The less the others know about my involvement with you, the better for you. But I needed to see you, especially after I learned about the new rules. I had to make sure that you´re okay and that you know that not you have a few supporter in your corner", Nasedo saw the response from the audience about the new rules and it was already clear that Maria was high on the list to be a candidate for the games.

Maria was sick of people trying to protect her; at first Rath with his keeping his distance from her and now her own grandfather. Didn´t they think she was old enough to make that decision for herself? She was well aware of the fact that it wasn´t really good for her to be related to an alien or that it wasn´t exactly smart to start something with her instructor. But this was her life and her decision and if she wanted to risk it, then it was in her hands not theirs. " Thanks for the information. Glad you decided to let me in on that before I will be sent to my death".

Nasedo should have been extremely angry at her response, but in her behavior he saw his son and it was like being with him again. Despite having grown up with another man, she had so much traits from her father that it was unmistakable who she was belonging to. " I´m sorry you feel like that, but it was for the best. After Bobby died I was afraid that they found out about him being a half-breed and I couldn´t risk making contact with you. I feared that they would realize what was going on and you would be the next to vanish".

" My Dad was a half-breed? And he was killed? So those rumors about the hunting of half-breeds are true?", no wonder her mother had been so paranoid with her and Sean all her life. She had always told them to stay away from large crowds and even forbid them to use their powers at all.

Nasedo glanced around; it wasn´t so safe here and the less they talked about half-breed the better. He didn´t trust anyone at this point; everyone could be stabbing you in the back without blinking. " Could you lower your voice, it´s not exactly smart to blurt things like that out on this ground. People have disappeared for less reason, but to answer your questions. Yes, yes and yes".

Maria felt slightly stupid for her behavior; usually she was more careful. But to her defense, the information she had received had thrown her out of loop. It wasn´t everyday that you found out your father was a half-breed and got killed because of that. " Wait; if my Dad was just a half-breed why do I have powers? Shouldn´t I be like normal?".

" I don´t have a clue about how that works", Nasedo had no idea how their genetic worked. Sometimes it happened that two aliens created a child with no powers at all, so it was hard to say why things happened like they did.

Maria was more confused like before, but she felt slightly better to know that she had one person she could ask if she would have more answers, even though she had no idea how she could contact him. It wasn´t like she could walk up to those aliens and tell them she wanted to talk to her grandfather. " I wish I could ask you more questions, but I think it will be suspicious if I miss more time in training. Is there a way I can reach you?".

Nasedo tapped her head with finger. " If you want to see me, just think about a place and a time and I will know it".

" That´s a cool trick; maybe someday you show me that", Maria smiled at him, trying to decide if it was too soon to give him a hug. Thankfully the decision was taken out of her hand when Nasedo wrapped his arms around her and whispered that she should be careful and to stay in contact before he walked away from her.

**Training room**

Rath was pacing the length of the room; up and down and back again. Isabel was eyeing him in annoyance and the rest of the chosen were too busy with their training that they didn´t even realize what their instructor was doing.

" Would you stop it! You´re driving me crazy", Isabel finally lost her patience and snapped at him. She knew that he was worried about Maria, but the girl was more than capable to take care of herself.

Rath glared at her, but stopped his pacing and stared at the door. He shouldn´t have left her alone with the Gamemaker; he should have insisted to stay with her and don´t let her out of his fucking sight. She was a trouble magnet and god knew what she was getting herself into again. Every time he was not with her, she came back with more bruises. " What is taking so long? Do you think I should check out what they´re doing?".

Isabel shook her head; wondering if he sometimes stopped to listen to himself. That wasn´t the guy she had met three years ago; the badass who was barking his orders and wasn´t taking no for an answer. Now he was worried about a girl? " I think you should get your head out of your ass and into the game again".

" Now it´s not the time for your smartass remarks", Rath pointed a finger at her. He was on the brink to do something unthinkable, there was no need for her to tell him thinks he already knew. Of course he should concentrate on his other chosen as well, he was aware of that, but at this moment he didn´t care.

Isabel was just about to give him a great comeback when the door opened and Maria stepped inside the training room, her whole face glowing and no fresh bruises on her skin. Turning to her co-instructor, she gave him the see-she´s-fine-and-you´re-looking-like-a-fool-expression; the one she had perfected over the years with him. " She´s in one piece and not hurt in any kind. Can you finally start doing what you´re paid for?".

Rath flipped her the bird before he dashed across the room in record time and stopped directly in front of the girl that was slowly driving him crazy. His first instinct was to put his arms around her, but he knew that he couldn´t, not with the room full of people, especially when everyone had abandoned their training to watch them. " Are you okay? What did Nasedo want? Did he threaten you?".

" Don´t worry, everything is fine. But I can´t talk about it here", Maria was amused about his behavior and partly pleased.

Rath nodded in understanding; he would have time later to talk to her when they did their secret power training in the shed. Feeling the eyes of every person drilling in the back of his head, he straightened his posture and glared down at her. " Get in line blondie! We´re not on vacation here! Move it!".

Maria would have kicked his ass if she wouldn´t know that it was all an act. He had to play the tough instructor in front of the others and she was okay with it; especially when it meant to stay in her character as well and she loved to tease him. " Don´t get your panties in a twist. I´m here, aren´t I".

" Don´t get smart with me. Now get going", Rath motioned with his head in the direction of the others; giving her his stern instructor look. One day he would use that fiery passion from her in some bodily activity and he would enjoy every second of it.

Maria smiled brightly at him before making her way towards her companions. Mason was instantly at her side and put his arms around her middle. With the whole drama the last few days she hadn´t been able to spent as much time with him and she felt slightly bad about it. " Hey buddy; how is your progress?".

Mason gave her a toothy grin; glad that she appeared to be better now. She had scared him when she had just taken off and he thought he would never see her again. She was the only one here that was making him feel at home and he didn´t want to lose that. " I´m getting better".

" That´s great", ruffling his head, she laughed when he tried to swat her hand away; so much like Theo that it was adorable. Kneeling down so that she was eye level with him, she gave him an apologetic look. She was sure that he probably hadn´t understood her action from before. " Sorry about the drama. I lost my cool for a moment. It won´t happen again, I swear".

Mason just nodded; he had been afraid that she was gone, but he would have understood it. He may be still young, but he had instantly realized what was going to happen from now on, especially when he saw everyone staring at her. Even their instructor had been worried and that had scared him even more. But she was here and it was making him feel more at ease. " It´s okay. Next time you freak out, I will just have to follow you".

Maria was touched about his attachment to her and she was again reminded about the little guy that was sitting at her home and was waiting for some proof of life from her. Theo may have just gotten some competition for her affection. " That won´t be necessary, but thank you for your offer".

" Hey, no dawdling! We´re not here for the fun of it!".

Mason immediately scurried away when he heard Rath´s voice. He didn´t need any problems with him, the guy was already scary enough when he was calm; he didn´t want to find out how their instructor was when he was pissed off. So in order to not get lectured, he went back to Zoey and they both started with their sword practice again.

Maria rolled her eyes at the barked order and calmly made her way towards Josh and Max. Both guys were in the middle of hand to hand combat training. It was rather sexy to see them wrestling with each other and if she wouldn´t be already occupied with naughty thoughts about someone else, she would have probably appreciated the sight more. " Can anyone join in on the fun or is this a private party?".

" For you I would make an exception", Josh swiped the sweat from his forehead and gave her what he surely thought was an sexy smirk.

Maria tried to keep her amusement off of her face; Josh hadn´t learned anything about her at all. Yeah, they got along better and he wasn´t the asshole she thought he was anymore, but that didn´t mean he wasn´t sometimes slipping back into his old douche bag self. " Oh Joshy, I hope you can handle two at once", as soon as the sentence was finished she attacked.

Josh dodged the blow in his direction and dished out a few of his own moves, which didn´t even come close to his target, which in return was making him extreme angry. He wouldn´t let a girl make him look like a fool in front of his instructors and fellow companions. It was bad enough that she had beat them all with the weapons, but he wouldn´t let himself get beat up from someone half his size.

" Okay, I think I will find something else to do", Max backed away from the two and was about to turn to Liz when Maria kicked Josh to the ground and was whirling on him. Before he was able to process anything, she had grasped his arm and was throwing him on the ground. " Damn woman, that hurt".

Maria smirked down at him before helping him up again. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed movement and instantly turned around to intercept the lifted fist coming her way. With the ease of a boxer she eluded the punch, slipped under the arm and then rammed her shoulder in her opponent's stomach, which made him fall on his ass yet again. Fortunately for her she was able to keep her balance and glanced around for someone else trying to attack. But all she could see was everyone else being really busy with their own battles and so the only ones having witnessed her little show were the instructors.

Rath was inwardly beaming with pride at her. He had been able to teach her something at all in those short few weeks. If she wouldn´t be so cocky and silly sometimes, she would have been a star pupil. But unfortunately she was about to learn not to underestimate an opponent. Josh had used her distracted state and swiped her legs away under her.

" Ouch", Maria had fallen right on the tailbone and it was hurting like bitch for a moment. Before she could however check if she was able to move her ass, Josh was sitting on her body and was grinning in delight down at her. " That was very good".

Josh took her hands and put them on either side of her head, trapping her on the ground. Bending down so that they were really face to face, he gave her a superior look, like he had done something of epic proportion instead of just overpowering her for a moment. " Oh I like this position. Makes me feel really manly", bowing his head deeper, he kissed her, thrusting his tongue in her mouth. " You taste just as delicious as I imagined".

Maria was shocked and repelled that he just did that. Without thinking she lifted her knee and kicked him so hard in his balls that he was rolling off of her and tears were streaming down his face. Turning him around from his fetus position she punched him in the face for good measure. " If you do that again, you need to dislodge your balls from your throat".

" Hey, I think we all know the winner", Rath pulled her from the ground and kept her arms in his grip so that she couldn´t do anymore damage to the poor guy. Not that he was sorry about the bastard, he deserved it and even more for just macking on her, but it would´t look good if they only had five chosen tomorrow when the TV crew was coming.

Maria was surprisingly not fighting the hold on her and just stared at Josh with disgust. How dare he put his toxic lips on her! Who did he think he was just forcing himself on her like that? " I´m good, but he better think what he´s doing before he´s in my presence again".

Isabel helped the hurt chosen on his feet and was carefully leading him in the direction of the infirmary. When she went past the other blonde, she gave her a proud smile and a thumb up. She would have done the same in her shoes. No girl liked to be viewed as an object and wouldn´t take it lightly when someone was just putting a kiss on her without her consent. She knew all too well how those male chosen thought about the female ones; especially when you were not so bad to the eye. She had needed a lot of thick skin to bear the comments about her body, her boobs or her face. It had been exhausting and only stopped when she showed them not to mess with her.

" Okay folks, continue. We don´t have a lot of time anymore", Rath let go of Maria and was pleased when she wiped furiously at her lips; while she hadn´t done that with his kisses.

Maria wished she could have some alcohol to get the taste out of her mouth. Shuddering at the mental image, which would be forever branded into her brain, she went to the other room. She needed to break something or she would blow something up with her powers. Taking the sticks, she went to the dummies at the wall and flailed at it with a vengeance. Over and over again she let her anger out on the objects in front of her, picturing one particularly face.

Rath had followed after her to make sure that she wouldn't blow anything up. In the shed it wasn´t so bad, but here it would raise too many questions Watching her from the door, he was stunned how much her body had changed. Now when she punched, kicked or beat up dummies, all of her muscles were working in perfect synchronization. Gone was the delicate pixie and had made place for his little warrior princess.

" Don´t just stand there and stare at me like a creeper. If you have to be here than be useful and teach me something new", Maria paused in her attack momentarily and wiped the sweat from her face. Some of her anger had simmered down, but there was still a lot left.

Rath smirked at her words and wordlessly made his way towards her. Stepping directly behind her, he took her wrists in his hands and lifted them. " You´re too uncontrolled in your attack; you´re letting anger cloud your senses. Brute strength is good, but not always helpful. You have to be smart and effective. You don´t want to tire too much by blindly pouncing on an opponent. You want to injure him with as little as possible strikes"

Maria barely registered what he said; she was too distracted from his close proximity and the way his hard body was feeling. Him breathing on her neck wasn´t helping the matter and she felt her brain turning to mush and her thoughts going to places she hadn´t known existed. How did he do that to her? Usually she wasn´t so easily sidetracked, especially knowing the reason why she was here in the first place. " Okay and what should I do instead?".

" Focus your anger in another direction", he breathed in her ear, guiding her hands to strike at the three most sensible spots on the human body; the side on the throat, the temples and the nose. " It won´t kill, but gives you more time to finish them off".

Maria was sure her body temperature was so high that she would burn through her clothes. The bastard knew what he was doing to her and she let him; partly because she was curious how far he would go and partly because she enjoyed this little game; and the fact that he wasn´t so unaffected from her according to the erection pressing into her behind. " That sounds promising. But I could just do that to distract my opponent", letting one of the sticks drop to the floor, she moved her hand around her side and grasped the bulge digging into her.

Rath sucked in a deep breath to keep himself from moaning at the contact. For a moment he was tempted to let her pet him to see how far she would go; but then he heard the others in the next room and he remembered where they were and what was at stake. So with great effort he took her hand and gently pushed it away from his best friend. " this only works when your opponent is really close and believe me, the last thing on his mind will be sex".

" I don´t know", Maria turned around and glanced at him innocently while she trailed a finger on his chest area. " Maybe I should stop steeling my body and instead use it to lure male contestants in my trap", slithering herself like a snake on him she gripped his hands and put it on her hips, dangerously close to her bottom. " I could make them think they could score and then when they´re ready to rip my clothes off, I could do that", without any warning she flipped him over her shoulder and threw him on the ground.

Rath cussed a blue streak when he got air back into his lungs again. That was his punishment to let her beautiful face and her daring body fool him. She was good, he had to give it to her, but it wouldn´t benefit her in the arena. All male chosen were intent on killing not scoring with a girl; he was speaking from experience. " You got me; but you´ve been lucky. You used my attraction to you against me".

Maria thought her cheeks would probably hurt tomorrow from her big smile. He was just too cute when he was in a snit; made her glad that she grew up with male friends or all that cursing would have shocked her into the next millennium. Offering him her hand, she helped him up. " Isn´t that what you told me; to outsmart my opponent? I took the advantage I had and used it against you".

" I swear one day I´ll figure you out woman", Rath patted the dirt from his pants and tried to repair his slightly damaged ego. No one had ever put him on his back in all those years and she had done it twice; he had to do something or his reputation would be going down the drain.

Maria was about to tease him a little bit more when Mason sprinted into the room and hid himself behind her. Seconds later Zoey was following him and her expression did not look very friendly. Keeping one hand on the small boy´s shoulder, she used her other one to stop the girl. " Hey, hey, hey. What´s going on?".

Zoey was pointing to her left shoulder where a small tear in the t-shirt and some blood was visible. Thankfully she wasn´t hurt or she wouldn´t be able to glower angrily at her fellow chosen with such intensity. " He nicked me. He was retailing for last time".

" Is that true?", Maria spun her head to look at Mason; even though she knew that he would never do something like that and she saw him shake his head in negative, appearing rather remorseful than vicious to her. " He didn´t mean it. It was just a little accident. Do you need the infirmary?".

Zoey glared at the taller girl, totally ignoring the reason for her bad mood for the moment and focusing all her anger towards someone else. It was strange, because the little one was usually a really nice person and wasn´t exactly mean to others. " Yeah take his side, like you always do. You just care about him and no one else".

Maria was taken aback from the comment and it bothered her more than she wanted. Did it really appear like she just cared about Mason? Okay, she had a really strong bond with the boy, but that didn´t mean she only cared about him. She liked the others just as much, even if that didn´t look like it all the time. Had she overlooked the little girl so much that she felt left out? " Why would you say that? I care about everyone".

" Oh really? I don´t see it".

Rath had enough from the little troublemaker and stepped in her view. Glaring down at her, he tried to be the tough instructor, but not so bad like with the older chosen. He had to remember that she was just a little girl, scared and in dire need of someone to hold onto. Apparently that had been Maria and she had failed to notice it. " It´s over; you got your opinion across to her and now I think it´s time to get back to your training"

Zoey made the impression like she wanted to defy him and have the last word in this. But then she whirled around and marched with quick steps into the next room. Maria was following her with her eyes until she disappeared behind the door and her expression was sad. She didn´t want to hurt anyone; that wasn´t her intention at all. Why hadn´t she noticed sooner what was going on? She was usually more in tune with the feelings of others.

" It´s not true", Mason took her hand and gave it a squeeze. When he saw her questioning glance, he continued. " I see that you care about everyone. She just misses her family".

Maria tried to give him a small smile, but her heart wasn´t really into it and that made it come out more than a grimace in the end. But apparently it was convincing enough for her little friend and he was making his way to the others. That only left her with Rath in the room. For a few seconds they both didn´t say anything until Maria couldn´t stand the silence anymore. " She´s right. I care more about him than anyone else. I like the others, but I don´t think so much about what happens them, not like I think about Mason".

Rath knew that already; he had watched her and saw the way she was around the little guy. They shared something very rare and really beautiful. It was so unusual that the chosen formed such a tight group like this one had done, but Mason and Maria were something else entirely. " You see your little brother in him and you still want to protect him. That´s the reason why and him have such a deep connection".

" I know, but that doesn´t justify my behavior. She´s still young and needs someone to hold onto her", she had to remember that the next time. They were all in the same exact situation and they had to band together in order to survive this.

Rath pulled her flush against his body and breathed in her clean scent. He hated when her eyes got that glassy look and he was afraid that she would be crying every moment. Brushing his fingers through her blonde hair, he felt her relax in his arms. " You need that, too".

Maria hadn´t realized how much she had missed this; just being with someone and knowing that nothing bad would happen as long as the person was there. The last time she felt that had been with her family, right before she got shipped away. In that moment she really started to miss her family and a sob escaped her, but strangely no tears followed. " You´re really good at this hugging thing. I think I will keep you".

" oh yeah? Is that the only reason?", Rath was stunned how comfortable he felt with her this close. Usually he wasn´t the touchy kinda guy and he avoided any situation where he would run into the risk of getting hugged or patted, but with her he needed the contact more than anything.

Maria wouldn´t admit it, especially not to him, but his scent had a calming effect on her. This coupled with the beautiful rhythm of his heartbeat made her feel serene and safe; something she thought she would never feel towards anyone outside her family or friends. " No, you´re not so bad to the eyes either".

Rath acted shocked and pushed her slightly away from him to look at her face to give her the evil eye. " You just want me for my body".

" Well yeah. What else is there?", Maria bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling at his expression. She needed to remain straight faced in order to convince him she was really serious about her statement.

Rath whirled around with a dramatic gesture and lifted his nose high in the air; crossing his arms tightly over his chest. He snorted like a girl at her words and gave her literally the cold shoulder; trying to act offended and angry. " I´m not an object. I have also feelings, you know?".

Maria chuckled at his antics and it just seemed to make him madder. Making her way towards him, she wrapped her arms around his middle from behind and kissed the back of his neck, which she just could barely reach with her shorter height. " Come on baby, you know I don´t mean it like that", she dropped her voice to sound more like a guy.

" Oh my god, that had been the worst impression of a dude I ever heard", Rath turned his body around, but made sure that her arms stayed around his body.

Now Maria was the one acting offended; she had been really good. It wasn´t her fault that he was deaf or didn´t know the difference between bad and good. " I was so awesome and you know it", to get her point across she glared at him.

Rath couldn´t help it; she was just too adorable when she tried to intimidate him with her tough girl persona, so instead of reacting to her game, his through her out of the loop with a kiss that left them both pretty much breathless and panting with lust. Just as he was about to decide to screw training and do something more fun, he heard someone enter the room and seconds later a throat was cleared.

" Sorry to interrupt; but I think you should come back".

Maria buried her burning face in Rath´s chest while she tried to picture the stunned Max had surely done when he saw what was going on. She would probably never live it down with the others and now that one of them knew it was just a matter of time before everyone else would be getting the memo as well. " Oh boy, it´s so embarrassing".

Rath chuckled, not just about her dramatic but the expression from their intruder. It had been a mix between slightly surprised and mostly knowing. It had been probably noticeable that something had been brewing between him and Maria for weeks. " I don´t know what you have to be embarrassed about; we were still dressed".

" That doesn´t matter", Maria looked up at him and rolled her eyes at his disbelieving glance. Men, they just sometimes didn´t get it. " Whatever, we should better go see what´s going on", with that she pushed away from him and marched in the other room. The second she stepped over the threshold, she felt the mood around her drop drastically and she instantly saw the reason for it standing at the entrance of the training room.

President Kivar

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to the people who are still sticking to the story, even though I don´t always find the time to write and the updates are taking longer. **

**Chapter 10**

Rath had to stifle his urge to put Maria behind himself to hide her from the cold eyes of President Kivar. Putting on his most what he thought friendliest smile, he made his way towards the man, all the while trying not to show how much he couldn´t stand his leader. " President Kivar. What an honor to have you here".

President Kivar glanced at the instructor with amusement. It was the same picture everywhere he turned up, everyone was overly friendly to him, acting like they were worshipping the ground he was walking on. They didn´t know that he knew about their real feelings towards him and that he didn´t care about it. This instructor in particularly was an example of keep your enemies closer. " Mr. Guerin; I thought I should take a look at our chosen this year before the camera team will be here tomorrow", looking around he finally realized that something wasn´t right. " I think you´re missing one chosen".

" Yes, he´s down at the infirmary with the other instructor. There was a slight accident during training", barely noticeable his gaze went to Maria before he focused his attention on the other man again.

Kivar laughed and it sounded fake and cold. Then his eyes scanned over the chosen that were present. He quickly checked the kids before he eyed Max and Liz, seemingly satisfied with them. After that his glance lingered on Maria and it was like he was trying to find a flaw on her. " Ah, you must be the famous Maria. Everyone is talking about you".

Maria had the urge to look anywhere else than this man, who was sending shivers up and down her spine. There was something in his look that was unnerving and making her afraid. The fact that he knew her name wasn´t making it any easier, but she tried not to show it. " Yes that´s me".

" I think we can work with you", stepping closer to her, he tipped her face back and forth, to both sides and opened her ponytail to let her hair fall in slight waves down her back. He had to bite back a smile when he saw her irritated expression. He had expected her not to just take it to get treated like an object instead of a human being. " Let´s see how far your beauty will get you".

Maria was fuming inwardly and she had to use every ounce of self-control not to ninja kick his pompous alien ass to kingdom come. Unfortunately her mouth wouldn´t cooperate with her brain and so she lifted her head high and whispered for his ears only. " It will get me to victory".

Kivar had to give her credit; she was a feisty little thing and it wouldn´t get boring with her around. She wasn´t like any other chosen that had come and gone; she was something else entirely and he wanted to find out what it was. One thing was for sure; he had to keep an eye on her. " We will see". With that he turned to Rath. " May the best win", and then he swirled around and left.

" Oh boy, I think my testicles shrunk back into my body", Max felt like he just gotten ran over from a truck again and again. He couldn´t remember ever feeling like the air was sucked out of the room, at least not in the bad way.

Liz, who had been clutching his shirt at his back in a tight grip, was finally letting him go and a shudder went through her body. She had never felt something like that ever in her life; it was like all the happiness was just gone and replaced with despair. That man was scary as hell and she hoped to never have to see him that close again. " Is it just me or did you have the urge to run screaming out of this room as well?".

Maria was still blown away from the close encounter with the alien leader and her heart was finally calming down to a normal rate. Her teeth were grinding down so hard on each other that she thought she would pulverize them in the process. Thankfully she had enough control over her body that her powers weren´t acting up on her feelings. Breathing deeply in and out, she eventually remembered that she wasn´t alone in the room. Turning around she instantly found Mason looking up at her with big terrified eyes. " Are you okay?".

" That man had been scary".

Maria smiled at him, even though she didn´t feel like it, but she wanted to reassure him that everything was fine. Touching his cheek, she made a tiny attempt to transfer some of her serenity over to him. " I know, but it´s over", moving her eyes to his side, she stared at Zoey. " Everything alright?".

Zoey nodded in astonishment before she smiled at the taller girl. It was nice to get asked and not just overlooked for someone else. Then she flinched when she heard a crash in the other room and they all turned to the noise. The others immediately realized that someone from their little get together was missing and it wasn´t exactly a secret what or who was causing this ruckus.

" Just continue what you have done before and don´t mind the sound", Maria made her way towards the other room and she stopped in her tracks when she saw Rath out of control, trashing everything in his wake with his bare hands. For a moment she was scared that he could do something stupid and that they would get in trouble, but then she swallowed her fear and walked in his direction. " Rath stop it. Rath! RATH! MICHAEL!".

Within seconds he whirled around and pinned her to the wall; his nostrils flaring wildly and his eyes blazing dangerously. His whole body was hard from tension and his arms bulging from the strain of not attacking her. His breathing was erratic and coming in short gasps. " Don´t you dare ever call me that again!".

Maria tried to press herself more into the concrete behind her to escape his fury. It wasn´t like she was afraid that he would hurt her, but she didn´t know what to expect. She didn´t know him that long and she wasn´t sure how to handle him right now. With Alex it was really easy; well he was not the violent type and rarely went postal, but when he freaked out, she let him get it out of his system and then pretended to overlook it. " Okay, noted".

" I´m not him anymore", Rath spat in anger.

Maria´s expression instantly changed from confusion to sympathy; even though she was still in the dark about his outburst. But at least she understood why he changed his name and never spoke about his past; something he tried to leave behind. Slowly lifting her right hand, she put it on his cheek and gazed at him with comprehension. " I know, but he will always be a part of you and you can´t escape it".

Rath only stared at her for a moment and it appeared like he would either deny her words or punch her lights out; but then he snuggled his face in her palm and his body sagged as the tension left. He was so fucking tired of fighting this battle with himself over and over again, always knowing that he would never win. " But I want to. Those aliens took so much from me and I couldn´t stop them; first my mother, then my stable home and lastly my childhood".

" The aliens took from us all; but we´re still here and we´re still alive", Maria was moved about his confession, that he trusted her enough to pour his heart out to her. It was making her eyes slightly swim in tears for a moment.

Rath kissed her palm in affection and a small smile was appearing on his face. She was right, everything those aliens had thrown at him had made him stronger and to the person he was today. He was not that scared little boy anymore and he should start to act like it. Instead of just complaining about the unfairness of all this, he should begin to do something against it. " Yeah, we´re here and we´re alive", but then he remembered his outburst. " But for how long? I can´t let you in this arena, knowing that Kivar has his eyes on you".

Maria was touched about his concern; it was such a sweet gesture. Unfortunately neither he nor she could do anything against her going into the arena at this point. It was just a matter of time now, not just about her going or not. " And what should we do instead? Run away?".

" That would be a thought", Rath could be gone that night with no one realizing that he left for hours to come.

Maria wished she could escape this here, but she couldn´t just leave and force someone else in her place to participate in the Fighting Games to their deaths. She wasn´t the kind of person to run away from responsibility; that wasn´t what her father had taught her. " I can´t. I run and those aliens will be after my family. I can´t risk that".

Rath was disappointed, even though he understood her motivation. If he would have any family left, he wouldn´t risk them as well. But seeing as he had no one, he never had to think about anyone else, until this girl stumbled into his life. " I know, but I just don´t want to see you die like all the chosen before".

" I won´t I promise you", to seal the deal she gave him a quick peck on his lips and then wrapped her arms around him. She wasn´t the only one in dire need of a hug every now and then; even the hardest guys wanted to be cared for here and there.

Rath let her comfort wash over him; he had forgotten how nice it was to be held like that. It was such a relief to not feel the burden he had carried all those years on his shoulders; knowing that there was someone at his side that understood and not judged him. All the mistakes he had done in his life didn´t matter to her; his past was over and she just cared about the person in the present. " I could get used to those hugs from you"

Maria chuckled at his words, because they were almost swallowed from her shoulder where his head was resting. " I sure hope that you only get hugs from me".

" Only from you", he didn´t care about anyone else like that. Some other chosen decided to be so close to him and he would have probably kicked them in the next District or something. He wasn´t the kind of guy that was comfortable with any kind of body contact that wasn´t sexual.

Maria was amazed how different Rath could be when you took the time to get to know him better. He was relentless, rude and pretty much the most hotheaded person she had ever met in her life; but then there was his other, more softer and caring side. He felt deeply, just chose to not let anything affect him to protect his heart. " Good answer", kissing the side of his throat, she pushed him away. " Now let´s continue with the training or else my instructor will be on my ass again for dawdling".

Rath grinned at her and then slapped her bottom with gusto. " I´m just on your ass, because I love your behind", pulling her back in his arms again he brushed his lips over hers for a moment. " Thank you for coming into my life".

" Someone has to like you very much", Maria replied cheekily before she danced out of his reach. If they didn´t start with their exercise they wouldn´t get anything done today and they didn´t have too much time anymore. Every second they wasted could be a second that was costing her life in the arena. " Now chop-chop".

Rath saluted her and then made his way over to the dummies. He had still a lot to show her about attacking an opponent and what better way to do it with a willing participant that wasn´t him?

**Mess hall**

Maria had never been so glad to see food in her life; she was starving after hours and hours of hitting, slapping, fighting and dodging. Everyone else was relative quiet that evening, Liz and Max seemed to be in their own little world, Josh was still recovering from his little run in with the fist of doom, Zoey was deep in thoughts about her family and Mason was just too tired to anticipate in anything that required talking.

" Did someone die or is this the impression of silence of the lambs?", Laurie plopped down beside her friend and glanced around the table at the quiet people.

Maria smirked at the other blonde; glad that someone was in a better mood. She had nothing against silence, but it was slightly awkward at his point. They usually talked about their day or gave each other tips about what to do better. " I think the constant training is finally catching up to us".

Laurie snorted; like that was an excuse for not talking. She was tired and sore at places she felt really uncomfortable with, but that didn´t mean she would be sulking or sit around all evening doing nothing while this place had so much spots to explore. They didn´t have too much time anymore and they should use every minute they weren´t exercising to investigate the building. " I hope you have time for a little scouting expedition?".

" When?", Maria liked the sound of that.

Laurie glanced around to make sure that no instructor was near them. They weren´t exactly allowed to hang out with other chosen from other districts; but she didn´t care about that. She would rather have some allies at the beginning before going in this arena alone. " After you´re finished here".

Maria made a face when she heard that. As much as she would like to have fun with her new friend, she couldn´t do that. She and Rath had a date in the shed, which she didn´t want to pass up, especially after today. " I can´t".

" Why?", Billy asked when he pulled up besides the girls. He anticipated this moment as soon as Laurie had mentioned to do something together and he had already pictured a few scenarios in which he would find time alone with Maria.

Before Maria could open her mouth to say something a tall shadow was falling over her. " Because she has an appointment with me", the deep voice of Rath was grumbling not so friendly at the three and his icy glare was directed at the chosen from the New York District.

Everyone else was waiting with bated breath what would happen the next few seconds. It was very apparent that both guys were seemingly interested in the same girl and they were curios if there would be a little showdown between them. Unfortunately Maria decided to interfere and stood up. " Sorry guys, maybe next time".

" I will hold you to that", Billy winked at her with a wide grin; not in the least intimidated from the instructor.

Rath growled in anger while he put a hand on Maria´s back to get her out of the mess hall before he did something like punch his fist in the other guy´s face. " I don´t like him".

Maria tried to keep her smile hidden, but he was just so damn adorable when he was in a bad mood. Besides, she liked that he was trying to put private property signs around her; it was kinda cute. No one had ever been so possessive about her. " Why? Because he´s from another District?".

" No, because he´s always hanging all over you. It´s highly suspicious".

Maria pinched his side in annoyance. He made it sound like it was so unusual that she attracted the attention of a guy and she didn´t like the implication; it wasn´t her first time that some male was interested in her while she was trying to ignore it. " Highly Suspicious? Why do you think that? He could be really into me?".

Rath didn´t doubt that; the guy wanted really into her and that quite literally. It was very obvious that the chosen from the New York District was hoping to score with his girl and he didn´t like that fact, especially after he put a claim on her. She was his and no one was taking her away from him, not as long as he still had her with him. " He wants in your pants".

" Maybe I let him", Maria quipped with a twinkle in her eyes; which soon died when she saw his thunderous expression coming her way. Before she could pacify him, he was glaring at her and lunging for her. With a little cry she started to run away from him, knowing that he would be following her. She just hoped that she had enough time to get to the shed and hide before he caught up to her.

Rath was chasing after her cute little behind, even though he knew that it would probably be a little too obvious what was going on. But he didn´t care anymore what those aliens thought about him; they already decided to put the person meaning a lot to him in the arena and he would be damned if he would waste any time on worrying about them. " You will be sorry when I get you".

Maria glanced behind her and gave him a small wink before she picked up speed. Seeing the shed coming in her view, she was breathing a sigh of relief. She knew that she was fast and she could go on without breaking out in sweat, but Rath was not far behind her. Making it though the door, she barely had time to close it before she felt the wood moving under her body. " You´re not coming in".

" The hell I won´t. And then be prepared for a really good beating", Rath´ voice sounded through the door.

Maria couldn´t keep the giggle in; she knew that he wouldn´t hurt her, at least not that much. Maybe she would even enjoy that "beating"? " Promises, Promises"

Rath was really quiet on the other side and that made her a little suspicious. Putting her ear on the wood, she tried to find out where he was and what he was doing. For a few seconds all she could hear was silence, but then she registered his breathing. Unfortunately it wasn´t outside, instead directly behind her and before her body caught up with her brain, she felt his hard form pressing against her back and pushing her at the door. " Don´t forget to always guard your back".

" I will remember that when I need it", Maria was feeling faint from his proximity and the mouthwatering scent clinging to him. Like usually when he was that close her mind was shutting down and all her nerve endings came alive at the same time. It was so out of character for her and it was still slightly scaring her.

Rath put his face on her shoulder, soaking up that wonderful smell surrounding her. She was so soft, small and delicate and yet he wasn´t afraid of hurting her with his big hands. She had a strength that he admired and her presence soothed the demons fighting inside him. " You don´t know what you´re doing to me".

Maria was panting hard and he hadn´t even touched her in an intimate way; her heart was beating really loud and her legs were buckling while his breath at her throat area was leaving goose bumps all over her skin. She tried to get herself under control again, but she wasn´t sure how to do that with him doing everything in his power to drive her crazy. " Yes I do, I can feel it poking me", to emphasize her point, she wriggled her ass into his groin.

" Don´t do that to me, woman", Rath swallowed a moan that was threatening to erupt inside of him. She was always doing that; even if she wasn´t aware of it. All she had to do was being there and he was hard in seconds. He was in constant need of adjusting his pants and taking cold showers.

Maria turned slowly around until they were face to face. She saw the surprise and confusion in his beautiful hazel eyes; asking her silently what she was doing. Snaking her arms around his middle, she grasped his bum and pressed herself even closer to him, making him groan. " What do you mean?".

Rath was battling with himself; he wanted her, so much that it was almost painful not to act on it, but he didn´t know if it was a good thing. What would happen when they bonded on that level and she died in the arena? He wasn´t so sure if his heart could endure that torture. " You know exactly what! Don´t tease me like that".

" Who said anything about teasing?", Maria started to kiss the side of throat, leaving a slight wet trail on his skin. She worked her way up to his ear and nibbled on his earlobe; enjoying the sounds he was making in the process, which in return motivated her to continue with her seduction.

Rath knew that they shouldn´t do that here; especially knowing that every second they wasted with not training was a second that could be getting Maria closer to her death. But as soon as she had started to press herself on him with her soft body, his brain had been shutting down instantly. All he could do was to enjoy her ministration and her flowery scent cloaking him. " You are driving me crazy".

Maria stopped kissing him and stared at him with a smile while her fingers were working on undressing him. " Is that so bad?", she whispered before she lifted his t-shirt over his head and threw it on the ground, not caring if she got it dirty. Then she stepped back from him to appreciate the sight of his naked torso. Voicing her appreciation, she let a finger travel over his abs. " You´re really beautiful".

"You´re just saying that to get in my pants", Rath wanted to savor the feeling of her light touch on his heating skin, but he was sure that it wouldn´t take a lot for him to embarrass himself in front of her at this point. He was so hard that he was afraid he would be bursting his pants. So in order to save his dignity, he took her finger and kissed her fingertip. " As enjoyable as this is, I don´t want to make it with you in this hell hole"

Maria was disappointed for a moment, wondering if it was something she did or said. Stepping back from him she tried to hide her feelings from him. The rational part of her knew that he cared for her and she had visual proof that he found her attractive with the obvious tent in his pants, but the woman in her was hurt from his rejection. " It´s fine. We should better use the time to train my powers anyway".

Rath had seen her expression and he felt slightly bad. He never turned down a girl giving him the permission to ravish her. But for once, he didn´t want to rush anything or cheapen the moment with a quick fuck in this little rundown place. " Hey, look at me", waiting for a few seconds for her to do so, he was not so surprised that she didn´t. " I said look at me!", when she still didn´t turn around, he grasped her shoulders and forced her around. " It´s not that I don´t want you, but sex usually didn´t mean anything to me aside from getting off. But you´re different and when we decide to make love, I want it to be special; for both of us"

" Really? Even though I would be willingly go without all that romantic shit and let you do anything with my body you wanted?", Maria was stunned about own words. She was still a virgin and had never been that interested in having sex, even though she had fantasies and knew how to get herself off. But she never had been that into someone that the thought to rip his clothes off had been on her mind. Well until Rath came and turned her mind into a puddle of smut.

Rath groaned and let his gaze wander to the ceiling; she was probably testing his patience and his body was trying to screw his good intentions in order to satisfy his needs. But this wasn´t about what he wanted, this was something that he felt he had to do. " Yes, we´ll wait".

Maria thought it was cute that he wanted their first time together to be special. Every other guy would have probably already undressed her and would have been halfway finished by now. Going towards him, she kissed his cheek. " You are a true romantic, who would have thought", leaning closer to his ear, she whispered. " Too bad, I would have probably popped you head off".

" Oh shit" and with that the candles exploded.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for keeping you waiting, but I was stuck in a really bad writers block, but I hope that I´m finally passed that and can update more frequently. Hope you like the chapter **** . **

**Chapter 11**

The camera team tried to blend into the background with their equipment, but they didn´t exactly manage it. Everyone was hyperaware of the extra people standing around and watching every move they were doing. Rath was oddly quiet and just kept his eyes on his chosen while Isabel was walking around to give tips to them. The chosen themselves were too nervous to do anything then to focus their attention on their task and not to look too stupid.

Mason and Zoey were sparing with the sticks. They were getting really good at anticipating each other moves and so nobody was having the upper hand in the mock fight. Josh and Max were doing hand to hand combat with Max slightly overpowering his opponent while Liz and Maria were doing some kind of obstacle course with things popping up and trying to hurt them.

" I feel like an animal in the zoo", Liz whispered; making an attempt to dodge the bag coming her way, She had been hit more times than she could count; thanks to the added audience. She was too busy not to fall on her face, that she was too distracted to concentrate on anything else.

Maria was ducking and avoiding the obstacles putting themselves in her path. Poor Liz, she was probably gonna be black and blue the next day from all the hits she had taken. The girl had still a lot to learn if she wanted to survive in the arena, but that was surely a moot point seeing as she was a safe bet and one of the guys would be going with her. " Just ignore them. Think about them as furniture".

Liz glanced over her shoulder at the other girl and gave her a look that was clearly questioning her intelligence. Unfortunately in that moment two bags were racing down from both sides and she didn´t see them. Then she felt a hand shoving her on the ground. " What the….".

"That had been close", Maria was still holding onto the brunette and made sure that it was safe to get back on their feet again. Looking up, she saw that the worst was over and she slowly stood while helping the other girl as well. " you have to be careful. This may be not real, but that doesn´t mean it doesn´t count".

Liz was too stunned to comment, still trying to process what had just gotten down. One minute she was standing and the next she had been pushed down. It had all happened to fast that she didn´t have any time to react. " I know that; I was just distracted".

Maria shook her head at the girl. As much as she liked the brunette, she hoped that she wouldn´t have to take her to the arena. One second she wouldn´t look and her friend was toast. She wasn´t that skilled that she would be able to keep two people alive, no matter how good she thought she was. " You can´t be distracted. Every second could determine about live and death".

" Don´t talk to me like I´m not taking this serious; I´m working my ass off here just as much as you do".

Maria was pleasantly surprised about the fire in the other girl; Liz wasn´t one for being loud or getting angry; unlike herself. She would never be quiet about something that she felt strongly about or keep in the background just because it was easier. " Woah down tiger; I wasn´t telling you that to put you down", grasping her friends face, she smiled at her. " I just want you to give your best just in case you will be selected. I don´t want to see you die".

Liz felt slightly stupid for blowing up at the blonde; but the whole situation was finally taking a toll on her. She was constantly tired, cranky and hurting at places that she couldn´t even name. She just wanted to go home and live like before. " I´m sorry, I´m just so tired of this".

" Join the club", Maria didn´t show it like the rest of them, but she was really close to her limit of an emotional breakdown. If she wouldn´t have been so afraid of it, she would have done it already.

Liz sighed loudly and it ended in a slight sob, which was the start of tears trailing down her face. Instantly she turned away from everyone else, but the shaking of her body was a dead giveaway what was going on. She could maybe hide her face, yet she couldn´t hide her reaction and the small sounds that were escaping her.

Maria immediately recognized that situation and wrapped her arms around the other girl. " Hey don´t do that now. Let´s get out of here. Just follow my lead okay?", before she got an answer in return, she acted like she needed to support the brunette with an arm thrown over her shoulder. " Start limping", she whispered in her friends ear and started walking towards the door. " Sorry, Liz needs medical attention, I´m bringing her to the infirmary".

" Well, let one of us take care of it", Rath stepped in her way to take over; it was part of his job and he needed to be on best behavior with all the attention on them.

Maria gave him a look and she hoped that he understood the message in it; the last thing she needed was him and her going on a battle of wills live on TV. " No need; there´s something I want the doc to look at anyway".

Rath noticed that she was trying to tell him something, unfortunately he didn´t get what it was and so instead he picked up on what he heard instead. Checking her for any obvious injury, he was confused when he didn´t see anything aside from her perfect skin, glistening with sweat and some black and blue marks here and there. " Where are you hurt?".

" Instead of asking twenty questions, you could let us pass. Liz is in pain and I want to get her to the infirmary as quickly as possible", Maria was not averse to using brutal force if he should pose a problem at this point.

Rath realized that it the situation could be getting ugly really fast and he stepped out of her way. As soon as both girls were on their way out of the room, he turned his attention back to his other chosen, not caring if the cameras had captured the moment between them. He had other problems at the moment and it wasn´t about keeping a low profile any longer.

Maria half dragged and half pulled her friend down the long corridor until they came to the room where the aliens kept cleaning supplies. Pushing them both inside and locking the door quietly, she turned to the other girl. " Now you can let it all out".

And letting it out she did. Maria instantly wrapped her arms around the brunette and caressed her back in comfort. She knew the feeling and it was hard for her to control herself; it wouldn´t help anyone if she started to freak out and drown them all in her tears. Whispering words of encouragement and sympathy, she listened to the garbled sentences and hurtful cries. For minutes both girls kept in the embrace, even after the tears stopped and Liz had calmed down.

" I´m sorry for bawling on you like that".

Maria smiled at her friend, even though she knew that she couldn´t see it. This was part of her that was as natural as breathing to her; taking care of others was like a reflex for her and she enjoyed when she could help someone. " No sweat, I´m used to it; I´ve got a little brother and he usually uses me as a handkerchief".

Liz pulled away from the blonde and wiped furiously the tears from her face. She was glad that the other girl had reacted so fast and she hadn´t started breaking down with the others and the camera there to witness her weak moment. " Still, I´m grateful for your quick thinking".

" You can leave a tip when you go out", Maria winked, trying to diffuse the heavy cloak of sadness descending on them both. The situation was already dire enough, no need to make it worse by letting it drag them down.

Liz managed a small smile at that. Breathing deeply in, she straightened her back and glanced seriously at her friend. " How bad do I look? Will anyone notice that I´ve been crying?".

Maria stared at the blotched face and red nose of the other girl and she couldn´t hide her reaction. It was very apparent what had been going down. But good for the brunette that she was a master of finding believable excuses. " Yeah, but no one will know the real reason. We´ll go to the infirmary, tell the doc to get you a nice ice pack for your injured foot and everyone will think you have been crying because of being in pain".

" Do you think they will believe it? I mean I´m not really hurt", Liz was a lot; she was smart and kind and most of all very honest. Everyone around her had always been quick to tell when she lied and she wasn´t that good with faking an illness.

Maria wrapped an arm around her shoulder and grinned mischievously at her. " Don´t worry, just let me do the talking".

**Common room late evening**

All the chosen were scattered around the room; Josh and Zoey were sprawled across the thick carpeted floor, seemingly catching up on a little rest, Mason, Liz and Max were playing some game they found while Maria was standing at the window and was looking out in the darkness.

Her thoughts were constantly going to the training in the shed with Rath. He could do so much with his powers, things that were very handy in battle and could save her life; unfortunately she sucked at using hers. She was powerful, but she couldn´t direct the energy into doing what she wanted. Instead of her steering the powers, the powers were steering her.

Sadly Rath had been on the bad end of her attempts and twice he got hit from her blasts, making him fly across the shed and making contact with the concrete wall. She was a failure and time was slowly running out on her. Only two weeks and she was nowhere near being ready for the arena. Rubbing her face, she thought about her options to getting better. She wished she would have more time with her powers, but anything out of the ordinary workout schedule was dangerous; they were already pushing it with the hours they had now.

" You've been awfully quiet. Something you want to share with the group?".

Maria turned to the others and she noticed that they were all staring at her. Giving them her most sincere smile she could muster, she walked towards the troop to reassure them everything was fine. She couldn´t exactly tell them what was going through her mind. " You´re worse than my mother Max. It doesn´t mean anything when I´m quiet; just that I don´t have anything to say".

Max gasped theatrically at her, even going so far and putting a hand over his heart. " Maria and not having anything to say? We´re doomed"

" Hey careful; I can still take you", Maria swatted his leg, even though she was smiling. It was good to have something to get her mind off of her probable death in a few weeks. All that worrying was just making her crazy and she needed every brain cell in the arena.

Mason abandoned his place and instantly went to his favorite spot. Plopping down on her lap, he grinned at her while he snuggled against her. It was the only time he felt safe and warm; like he was back at home again and not at this gruesome building. " Where are you when you leave after lunch? I was looking for you".

Maria tried to not to look too nervous at the question, even though she had expected that someday someone would ask her that. Rath even gave her a few answers that weren´t too far fetched and she had memorized every one of them just in case she needed it. " I asked for more training and Rath has offered to give it to me".

" Yeah, he´s giving it to her", Josh tried to hide his sarcastic comment with a slight cough behind his hand, which earned him a slight poke in his rips from Max.

Maria glared at him with as much disdain as she could muster, but didn´t reply anything to that. It wouldn´t do any good anyway, if she would start denying that there was something going on between them, the others wouldn´t believe her. Besides, it was better they thought she was sneaking around with their instructor instead of what she was really doing. Turning her attention back to the little boy on her lap, she made an attempt to forget Josh and his stupidity. " Why were you looking for me? Are you okay?".

Mason nodded, but the motion was a little more sluggish than usual. When he blinked it took more effort for him to open his eyes again and his body was getting heavier. " I´m afraid to sleep. I have bad dreams".

" Why didn´t you say anything? You know you can talk to me", Maria had been too busy with her own problems and the strange attraction between her and Rath that she had forgotten to keep an eye on her little man.

Mason yawned loudly at that, but despite his weariness he was determined to keep awake, even though it seemed to be a lost battle. His lids were dropping lower and lower any second and his limbs were losing its tensions. " You´re always gone", he slurred slightly.

Maria felt those words like a punch to her gut and she felt bad for her behavior. She had promised him to take care of him and make sure that he was healthy. Not only did she fail in her training, she even failed doing something simple like looking after her tiny man. Standing up and biding the others a good night, she made her way to the sleeping chamber with Mason in her arms. Putting the little guy in his bed and arranging her body to fit in with him, she pulled his head on shoulder. " You can go to sleep now; I will be here to watch over you. Nothing and no one will harm you as long as I´m with you".

" Promise?", Mason didn´t have enough energy to fight sleep anymore.

Maria smiled at him while she brushed her fingers through his slightly shaggy hair; it was the same thing she did with Theo when he had a nightmare or couldn´t go back to sleep again. She missed those moments with her brother and she hoped that he wouldn´t suffer too much when she was gone. " I promise. Now close your eyes and imagine you´re at home with your family".

Mason did as he was told and his whole body seemed to melt into the mattress. His right hand was holding onto Maria´s arm. " Can you sing something for me?".

" I can do that", Maria made herself more comfortable on the bed and then she started to sing the lyrics to a song that she was usually singing to her brother every night before he went to sleep. It had a calming effect on Theo and he always fell asleep within minutes.

Mason let her lovely voice wash over him. The fear of having a nightmare was still there, but it wasn´t scaring him so much anymore, knowing that Maria was with him and would protect him from anything that could hurt him. Just as the thought was finished, he´s mind shut finally down.

Maria sang until the end, making sure that her buddy was really dead to the world before she kissed his head and let him finally rest. Watching him for a few moments, she was wondering how she would react when those aliens would vote him into the arena. He was so young and innocent; he wouldn´t survive five minutes in there, especially with those Chosen from the Copper Summit District. She was scared for him, because her caring nature and the selfish part of her were clashing together and she wasn´t so sure if she could focus on her survival when her need to keep him safe would be colliding with everything Rath was teaching her. Not even her powers would be able to help her in that case, because as far as anyone knew she was a normal person and she had to keep that way or else she was faster dead than she could say shit.

" You got a lovely voice".

Maria would have been startled at his whispered words days ago, but now she was so attuned to his presence that she could feel him before she saw his shadowy shape forming in her periphery. It was so strange that her senses had intensified, but her powers were a total bust. " You should see my dancing skills".

Rath grinned at her wit and he wondered for a second how long he would be able to enjoy it. Stepping into the room, he glanced down at the boy, who was deeply asleep and he envied him. He couldn´t remember the last time he slept through a night without nightmares or the feeling that his time was finally up. It must be nice to have someone watch over him. " He looks so peaceful".

" Yeah, he knows I´m here and he´s safe", Maria was mulling over when she had the last moment where she had felt safe and she came up with nothing; even with her family the thought that something bad could happen every moment was always there, always in the back of her mind. She could pretend to be okay with their situation, but if she was honest, she was tired of feeling like this, tired of being something she was not.

Rath was amazed at her natural instinct to do the right thing and adapt to situations within a blink of an eye. He was thrown into something and he usually reacted defensive or angry, most of the time even both. He saw someone defenseless and he pitied them, thought they would be worm food. " But you won´t be forever. You think babying him will be helping him in the arena?".

Maria glanced down at Mason and was relieved to see that he was still sleeping deeply. Pulling the blanket up on him, she untangled herself from his small frame and got out of bed. Then she took Rath´ arm and pulled him out of the hall, past the other chosen and past the curios and surprised faces that were staring back at the two of them. " I know you think compassion is a weakness and I can understand where you´re coming from, but that boy is too young to understand your approach".

" I´m just scared for you. What are you gonna do when the audience sends the boy in the arena with you? You will risk your life for him? Let down your friends and family for a stranger?", Rath knew that he wasn´t exactly talking about her family in particularly, it was more about him and his fear of losing her to something he couldn´t prevent.

Maria softened at his outburst; instantly getting why he was so adamant for her to toughen up. She was melting at the thought that he wanted to protect her; aside from her family, no one had ever felt that strongly about her. Besides, she had never been someone that needed a knight in shining armor, because she was capable of taking care of herself. " I won´t risk my life, I promise you. I just have to get better with my powers and then those other chosen better look out"

Rath wished he would have her positive thinking; but after a life of deep hitting, it was hard to find something good, even though he was sure that she was better than anyone he had ever trained before. But after the way Kivar had treated her that man would do everything in his powers to make sure that she wouldn´t come out of the arena alive. " I hope you are right. But don´t depend too much on your powers, you don´t want to expose yourself. You have to be smart and swift on your feet. Your survival skills are more worth than anything I can teach you".

" Okay, Obi wan, your advice is noted", stepping closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her level so that they were eye to eye. " Do you know that your overprotective behavior is very sexy?"

Rath´ attention immediately strayed from the serious conversation when he heard her sultry undertone and all his blood was suddenly pooling in his nether regions. Damn her perfect little body and damn his out of control hormones. He sometimes felt like a teenager all over again when she was near him. " Oh really; then I should be more overprotective".

Maria couldn´t help it and she kissed him. She didn´t know what it was, but every time he was in close proximity to her she felt the urge to jump his body and hump him into oblivion. She had never felt that way before and she was still a little afraid of her feelings, especially when she thought about the few weeks they knew each other. But then she remembered their limited time and she realized that it would be stupid to let fear keep her from something that could be the best thing to ever happen to her.

" Damn woman; you make it hard for me to stay away", Rath put his forehead on hers and tried to get air back in his lungs. It wasn´t what he was coming to her for; he thought they would be doing some talking about strategy or about her powers, but this was even better.

Maria giggled at his choice of words, considering she could feel something hard poking her. He was always in some kinda state of arousal when she was near him and she wondered how he could stand it, seeing as they weren´t relieving their pent up emotions. " Yeah I can feel it. Do you want me to help you with that?".

Rath was sure that his face was showing his surprise when he felt one of her hands going for the bulge in his too tight pants. He would be lying if he would say that he hadn´t thought about her doing that to him the moment when they bumped into each other, but he didn´t want this to happen in the middle of the hall where everybody could see them. " Not here; let´s get in my room".

" Well, well, well. I knew that there was more going on than when you warned me about my chosen, but I would have never guesses that you´re banging one of yours".

Rath instantly put Maria behind him and glared at the intruder. He should have known better than to let his guard down; not with her and definitely not with so many people close by who were after her head. Unfortunately as soon as she was near, his head was shutting off and everything rational was gone from his mind. " What are you doing here Zan?".

Zan smiled at the way the other guy was trying to keep his chosen from his prying eyes. It was very pathetic and so unnecessary; there wasn´t anything interesting to see anyway. " Oh I was nearby and thought to check the competition".

" Yeah like I believe that. What do you want?", Rath wished he would have taken Maria immediately to his room; he knew better than to expose himself. Zan wasn´t the only rat in this building and he always was so careful that no one had anything to hold over him.

Zan glanced over the other man´s shoulder and winked at Maria, who was glowering at him with disdain. It was very hard for him, but he tried to keep his amusement in check. No need to anger his opponent before the actual game. There was plenty of time to do that when their chosen were going to the arena. " Nothing; I saw you sneaking away with the girl and wanted to find out what you´re trying to hide, but now that I know that you´re just getting it on with her, I can rest better. And here I thought she was a half-breed and you were helping her with her powers. Stupid, eh?".

Rath´ expression didn´t waver for a moment; even though he had to do everything in his powers to keep the surprise from his face. He knew that rumors would circulate about them from this point on, but he thought it was better that way instead of the reality. Having a relationship with a chosen wasn't exactly forbidden, but being a half-breed would get them in real deep trouble. " Yeah, really stupid. I think half-breeds are just a rumor, or have you ever seen one?".

" I suspect a few, but I haven´t seen it with my own eyes", Zan pointedly stared at Rath and Maria, making it very obvious that he meant them without saying it out loud. He held the gaze for a moment before he turned around on his heels. " As soon as I have proof, I will notify you", he threw over his shoulder on his way back to his floor.

Maria was glad that Rath was standing in front of her and was pressing her slightly to the wall or else she would have already collapsed. Exhaling a loud puff of air, she put her head on his back. She could deal with thought of going to the arena and she could deal with the rumors about her putting out for her instructor, but what she couldn´t deal with was the constant fear of being discovered as a half-breed. " He won´t do anything, will he?".

Rath felt the tension in his body ease as soon as he was sure that they were alone. Zan had always made hints about his suspicion, but he never made it so plain obvious like he did right now. He needed to be more careful from now on. " He doesn´t have anything solid…..yet or else he would have already used it against us".

" Oh boy, it sounds like it´s just a matter of time before he has something", Maria was starting to shake like a leaf when she thought that no matter what she did, it was always coming back to her being different that was putting her in danger. Either she was dying in the arena or she was dying as soon as someone would realize that she wasn´t exactly a human. " No matter what I do, I´m gonna die. When not in the arena then someday".

Rath whirled around so fast that Maria´s heart stopped for a second. Putting both of his hands on either side of her head he glared at her. " You will not die; I don´t want to hear that again. I will protect you".

Maria was inwardly telling him how much she loved him for playing her protector and putting her first; she was so touched about his persistence to keep her safe, even though they both knew that it was just a question of time before they both would be found out. " I don´t want you to get in danger as well. It is better for me to die in the arena at this point".

" Why are you saying that? What about your family? What about me?", Rath couldn´t believe what she was telling him, no after her promise to come out alive from the arena.

Maria cupped his face with both hands and gave him her most sincere look. She wished that she would have met him under different circumstances and they both would be just human. Life would have been a lot simpler for them. But this was her reality and they had to do the right thing. " I´m thinking about you all. What do you think will happen when I win this game and they will find out I´m a half-breed? The first thing they will do is kill my family and they will come after you next".

Rath closed his eyes and let her words wash over him. He knew that she was right and that it was a real possibility, but his heart didn´t want to accept that. He couldn´t just let her go without trying to stop her from doing something stupid. She was too precious for him. " We´ll make sure that they don´t find out about us. Nobody knows anything concrete and we´ll get your family and disappear as soon as you´ve won".

" You´re sweet and it sounds really great, but let´s be realistic for a moment. I don´t want to live in constant fear of being discovered and getting the people I love in the line of fire", Maria was so tired of keeping her secret, tired of living with this huge cloud hovering over her all the time. She just wanted to keep her family out of harms way.

Rath knew that he wouldn´t get anywhere with her right now; she was very stubborn, almost rivaling him in that area. Thankfully he had enough time to convince her that it was worth to keep up the fight, but instead of telling her all that, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. " Come on, I´ll get you back to your room. I think we had enough excitement for a day".

Maria just nodded, feeling like her feelings had been on a rollercoaster today and it was finally taking a toll on her. Letting him guide her back, she swore she would find a way to keep her promise to her brother without getting anyone else in danger.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12**

Maria was trying to ignore the heated whispers around her; it had started as soon as she had stepped foot inside the mess hall and everyone stared at her like she had forgotten to check for toilette paper on her shoe. She knew what it was about and she had marched inside with her head held high; blocking the gazes following her. Mason had been at her side and she had concentrated on him instead of the people around her. As soon as she had sat down on her table, the others from her District instantly distracted her with senseless chatter and telling her jokes. She was very grateful for it, but not even they could stop her from listening to some words reaching her ears.

" _I heard she was pumping him for information"._

" _She just wants an advantage"_

" _Maybe she is really into him?"._

" _Some girls are just easy like that!"._

" _Yeah, spreading her legs in order to have an inside man"_

" _How disgusting"_

Maria was tired of listening. Staring at her half eaten food, she pushed her plate away from her and stood up. She could imagine herself doing better things than hear all that garbage about her; knowing that it wasn´t even close to the truth. " See you later guys. I´ll be in the training room….Hiding my disgusting self".

Liz and Mason immediately followed her; glaring at everyone they noticed staring at their friends back. Seconds later Zoey and Max trailed after the others. They wanted to show that if someone was going against one of them, they were going against all of them; only Josh was too hungry and so he stayed back to clean his plate.

" Hey, don´t let those idiots get to you. They will have something else to spread around by tomorrow", Liz tried to perk the other girl up; even though she knew that it wouldn´t exactly help. Anyone saying those things about her and she would hear that, she would hide in her room for days.

Maria knew that; besides those rumors was better than the truth, but it still irked her. She wasn´t an easy lay and she wouldn´t sacrifice her virginity for something as having an advantage. Even though she wasn´t that sensitive about things circling around about her; there was enough gossip in her home district to last for a lifetime, it still pained her to some extent. " Yeah I know. It doesn´t make this better though".

Max put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her softly. She was one of the nicest people he knew and everyone seeing Rath and her together would instantly see that there was something huge going on between them. " What do you care what those jerk offs are talking about you? You´re above them. Let them think what they want, it doesn´t matter".

" You´re right; they don´t matter", Maria was grateful to be surrounded by those great people, who were having her back. Putting her head on his shoulder, she felt herself calming down a little.

Mason didn´t want to get left out and went to her other side to grasp her hand. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, he was happy when she smiled down at him. He didn´t want anyone to make her sad, she meant a lot to him and it was putting him down when someone he cared about was getting hurt.

Liz, who was holding hands with Max, wondered for a moment how they had to look for someone not knowing them. Probably like a deranged family, but at least like a family. After her little outburst the day before she felt even closer to Maria and it was angering her that those idiots were enjoying to bash her. Thankfully the girl was tougher than most, because if they would be talking about her like that she would have been in tears in seconds. " That´s a good attitude. You know the truth, we know the truth and everything else is crap".

" What are you doing here already?".

The group was halting in their steps when they heard the unmistakable sound of Rath´ voice. He was standing in their path and his expression was as cold as his stance. His eyes were almost black and his arms tightly crossed over his chest.

Maria immediately untangled herself from Max and swallowed nervously at his dark gaze directed mostly at her. She was sure that the rumors had already reached his ears as well and the stares he was probably getting when he walked by. " Sorry, but we didn´t want to waste anymore time in the mess hall".

" Oh yeah; guys would you mind if I talk a moment to her", Rath gave anyone a meaningful look, daring them to say anything to him.

Maria was slightly amused when she saw the others eyeing her to make sure that she was alright with being alone with their instructor. When she gave them a short nod of her head, everyone was instantly going inside the training room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Rath grasped her arm and pulled her in the room she had been the day before with Liz. " Hey what´s with the manhandling; you could have just told me where to go, you don´t have to force drag me".

Rath rubbed his face with both hands and then he slumped against the wall behind him. It had been a hell of a day and it had been just twelve hours that those rumors had started. He didn´t want to imagine how much he had to endure the longer the whispers followed him. " Sorry, bad day".

" You´re not the only one", putting a hand on his shoulder, she was stunned when her body instantly relaxed and she felt at ease for the first time since she woke up that morning. Being near him was like a balm for her stretched nerves and she was glad that he had kidnapped her to this place.

Rath´ tension instantly eased and he glanced up at her. The whole morning he had waited to have a few minutes alone with her and not because of the rumors. He had felt that pull since he had been awake and it had almost driven him insane. Then those stares and whispers had started and his mood had gone downhill ever since. " How are you holding up?".

Maria chuckled quietly; like that wasn´t very visible. She had cut her lunch break short in order to escape the idiots gossiping about her like she was deaf and didn´t hear what they were saying about her behind her back. But she thought it was cute that he was concerned about her. " Not so good, but I hope in a few days it will blow over. How about you?".

" A few days? I hope it doesn´t take so long; I´m a walking short fuse right now, I few days longer and I will explode and probably take everyone else with me".

Maria pulled him to her and squeezed him in comfort. She knew how he was feeling; she was feeling the same way. But what other option was there? Telling everyone the truth and getting killed on the spot for being different? They had to endure this or else they would be dead and that wasn´t in on her plan right now; not like this. " I know and I´m sorry, but we have to go through this. A few weeks and everything will be over and we will probably laugh about this".

Rath breathed in her smell and he was instantly home again. It was so strange to have those emotions when he had tried to shut it all out all those years ago. Now he couldn´t remember how he had been able to live like this. " You promise?".

" I promise", pushing him slightly away from her, she glanced at his whisky colored eyes and she was stunned when she saw all his feelings reflecting back at her. " Now be a good instructor and do your job. Maybe you can let out your darker emotions out on Josh; he´s bugging me".

Rath kissed the tip of her nose and gave her one of his rare showing his whole tooth smile. She just always knew what he needed, even if he didn´t even know himself what he needed. He should get his shit together and be the man he had always been, even though it was getting harder and harder to uphold that image every day. But knowing that Maria was by his side was making it more bearable and he wasn´t afraid to be exposed any longer. " You go first; I´ll come in a second".

Maria saluted him with a giggle and then hail tailed her butt out of the room. Her heart was a little lighter than before; knowing that she wasn´t alone in this and that there was someone understanding her. It was making a huge difference.

**Trainings room**

" Did you have a fight with him or what?", Liz was sweating so much that she thought she would need some diving goggles to shield her eyes, because they were burning from all the saltiness dripping in it. Rath had been in a snit the moment he had stepped inside and it was scary to see him in all his nasty self.

Maria was massaging her shoulder; touching the tender spot where she had landed on a few times today. She knew that she had told him to let his feelings out, but not like that. She was sore and she was surprised that her body could still get sore. She had thought that after the hard training all her muscles would be used to the exercise; but unfortunately he had found some muscles that had been obviously neglected for the last ten years. " Why do you think it was me? He had been a sadist before he met me. Maybe it´s just his nature?".

Max joined the little group and draped his arms around both ladies. He was so finished; he was still wondering how he managed to keep standing. He didn´t feel his legs anymore and he had to check constantly to make sure they were still attached to him. " Can´t you do something? Give him a blowjob or something?".

" Why me? If you think he needs a bj why don´t you give it to him?", Maria rolled her eyes. She liked it better when everyone was just assuming that there was something going between her and Rath.

Max´ eyes widened and the tips of his ears were turning a dark shade of red. He was trying to say something, but all he could get out was some garbled speech that no one could understand. It took a few seconds before he could form a normal sentence. " I don´t think he would like to have another guy so close to his package".

Maria glanced back at Rath when she felt his heated gaze drilling holes in the back of her head. When she saw him in all his badass glory, she couldn´t imagine him swinging that way either; he was oozing straight pheromones and it was making her hot; a nice blowjob wasn´t sounding so bad right now. Licking her sudden dry lips, she flushed at the direction her thoughts were taking. " Well I agree with you".

" What are you doing there?! If you have enough air to gossip, I´m not doing a good job of exhausting you!".

Liz cringed, but instantly scurried away in order to not get in trouble. Max followed her almost immediately, not wanting to get on Rath´ bad side. The guy was only soft with a special person and that was definitely not him. Maria on the other hand was not in a hurry and took her time getting back in the game. She had finally managed to block out the cameras and the added people and just concentrated on herself. Here and there she kept an eye on the two youngest in their group, but she tried to keep most of her focus on her training.

Rath and Isabel were pacing around the room, Isabel making notes while Rath was trying to ban his other thoughts away from his mind. He needed to get his head back in the game and not get sidetracked from things outside of his influence. Barking orders here and there, he tried to ignore the media team and their equipment. He hated that there was almost just guys and there main focus seemed to be on Maria. Sometimes he heard them talking about her assets and it was taking a lot of his willpower not to break their faces.

" Maybe we should finally start with the next stage soon", Isabel was sure that their team was as good as it would get and it was time to begin with the mental training. Physically they were prepared, now they had to do it with the rest.

Rath glanced at the people he was responsible for and he noticed that some of them weren´t even close to be ready for the arena. But Isabel was right; they had to start the next stage soon or they wouldn´t have enough time for anything else. " Yeah, we should. We don´t have much longer anymore".

Isabel noted the slight sad tone to his words, but didn´t comment on it. Technically she was thrilled that her partner was finally opening up to someone; she just worried that he would probably not get out of this unharmed when it ended badly. Maria wasn´t just a normal girl and the chances for a happy end for both of them were very slim. " Let´s meet after this training and then we´ll set up everything".

" Can we do it later? I´ve got something else to do", Rath hoped that she hadn´t noticed his quick glance at Maria. He couldn´t waste any minute with training her powers; she would need any advantage she could get and this was the backup for when her physical strength was failing.

Isabel glanced at her companion and then at the girl he was trying to ogle without making it too obvious. She got that he wanted to spend every waking moment with her, but there were things more important than getting some nookie. Not that she could blame him; he had lived like a monk for years now and something like that had to happen. " I think Maria will manage one evening without you".

Rath whirled his head in her direction and the surprise on his face was unmistakable. The damn day she hadn´t said anything about those rumors about him floating around. But this last comment made him realise that she not only knew it, she decided to not say anything to him. " It´s not like that".

" I don´t care what´s going on with you two; you´re both old enough to know what you´re doing. You can do whatever you want outside this training, but we still have to do a job and it is to prepare our chosen as best as we can".

Rath wanted to tell her that it was exactly what he was doing; but as much as he loved and trusted the girl, he couldn´t risk any exposure at this point. He couldn´t trust anyone aside from Maria right now. So he held his tongue and swallowed the words quietly. " You´re right. I´ll cancel my plans".

Isabel patted his shoulder before she turned her attention back to her troop. As much as she wanted to deny it, she didn´t want anyone of them to go into the arena. These were the first group that she felt connected with and she would probabl mourn every loss deeply.

**Later that evening**

Maria was slightly disappointed that she wasn´t able to work with Rath, but she had quickly made other plans. Now that she had some free time from training, she had told Laurie that she was up for a little scouting around the place. Instantly Billy had invited himself and both girls hadn´t been able to tell him that he couldn´t go. So as soon as Mason had been asleep and Maria had made sure that he was deeply asleep, she had snuck out of their room, much to the amusement of her roommates, who thought she was on her way to a not so secret rendezvous with their instructor.

" I feel so excited", Laurie didn´t seem so affected from the knowledge that she could be dead in a few weeks; her sunny nature wasn´t faltering, even after all this time and knowing what she had to do in order to stay alive.

Maria smiled at her enthusiasm; glad that someone was in a good mood. She was constantly worried about her secret coming out and getting her family in danger while at the same time she feared that could die at any moment, so it was a relief to have her mind distracted with some fun. " I can see that; you´re all over the place".

Laurie gave her one of those big grins; the ones that said she was a little bit crazy but didn´t care about it. Her behavior was refreshing and slightly disturbing for someone in their position. No one in their right mind would find walking the halls of their last destination exciting. " How can I not? I don´t want my last days spending depressed, worried or in fear. I want to enjoy my last days".

" Easy to say for someone who will probably go home after this", Billy grumpled loud enough for both of them to hear it.

Maria turned to him and she wondered what had gotten him so pessimistic all of the sudden. Why did he decide to join them when he was in a bad moon and tried to kill their little adventure even before it really began? He had been strangly quiet since the moment those rumors about her started and now when he finally spoke it was so negatively. " I think she has a point and I´m talking from the position from someone that´s gonna be in the arena for sure"

Billy eyed her and his expression dropped even further, but he didn´t respond, instead he blurted out what was obviously keeping him busy. " Are you really sleeping with your instructor to get an advantage?".

" Oh man, can I have a few hours where I don´t get asked that question? What I´m doing and with who is no ones business but mine", she was fed up with it; at least she thought she was spared the inquisition from them this evening; one of the reason why she wanted to spent some time with someone not from her district. Unfortunately she couldn´t catch a break from the rumors for a few freaking hours.

Laurie glared at Billy with so much disdain; it was making her seem like a different person. Her eyes were sparkling dangerously and it was very apparent that it would probably involve some really bad ass kicking on her part. " Oh god, isn´t there any other topic anymore? I have heard all this whole damn day already and I´m sick of it. Does it matter if she´s sleeping with her instructor? No! Besides, have you seen the guy? I would totally jump him if I wouldn´t be so scared of him".

Maria was grateful for the support from the other blonde. Who would have known that the some people from the other districts were not so bad actually? She wondered for the hundreth time why the districts weren´t allowed having contact with each other. Were the aliens afraid that the residents could plan an attack or something? " Thank you. And now I don´t want to talk about that ever again".

" Fine, whatever", Billy instantly turned around and walked away from them in a huff.

Laurie and Maria exchanged a surprised look with each other before they started to crack up about the huffy departure. Men were sometimes so sensitive.

" Girl, you just broke his heart", Laurie got out as soon as she calmed down again.

Maria just shrugged her shoulders, it wasn´t her problem when he couldn´t deal with the truth and she would definitely not feel sorry for saying whatever seemed to have upset him. If anyone couldn´t handle her blunt nature, they should keep away from her in the first place. " He will get over it".

Laurie shook her head; wondering how someone so bright could be so blind to the obvious. It was very apparent that the boy was hurt over her involvement with another guy, not that there was some rumors circulating about her. " He has a huge crush on you and you didn´t exactly deny your involvement with Rath".

" Please, can we not talk about it. I have enough on my plate, I don´t need to worry about stepping on someones feelings right now", Maria knew that Billy was attracted to her, but she hadn´t ever given him any indication that she was feeling something towards him as well. And she thought that the longer she would ignore his affection he would get the drift.

Laurie knew when to close a topic and this was the moment she needed to shut her mouth. But there was still one thing she had do get out before she would terminate this conversation until the other girl wanted to open it again. " Just be careful; guys can be sweet and caring until they get what they want and then they ignore you".

Maria turned to her friend and she was slightly touched about the words. She never had a female friend before and therefore she never had that conversation with anyone aside from her family, who just told her that she had to stay a virgin forever. " Thanks for the concern, but it´s not necessary. Rath and I aren´t like that".

" Still, be careful. Don´t let his beautiful face and hot body fool you", Laurie had made that mistake too many times to count and she was pretty sure she would do that same mistake again and again.

Maria took her hand and gave it a squeeze in gratitude. It was strange to have someone tell her to be careful when the only one really in danger of getting emotionally hurt wasn´t her at all. If someone would get his heart broken it would be Rath. " I won´t"

Laurie was about to say something funny to ease the depressing mood she had started when she heard weird noises close by. It was sounding like little explosions and someone was giving orders. Straining her ears, she was trying to find out what she heard and from where it was coming from. Wasn´t practice over for the day? Did some District use extra time to train? Was that even legal or allowed? " Do you hear that?".

" Yeah. What is that?", without any further comment she walked in the direction where she thought was the noise coming from. It was really unusual that there was any training at this time of the night; well at least for everyone else not her. She and Rath rarely encountered anyone when they came back from the shed after their extracurricular activities.

Laurie trailed after friend with bated breath. She felt like they were doing something highly dangerous that could get them in a lot of trouble if they would be getting caught. It was both terrifying and exciting for her. " Oh god, what if we discover something huge?".

Maria didn´t think that they would make such a great discovery; they would probably only find a District that was behind and had to use the hours to catch up with anyone else. Anything else was probably highly unlikely; not with the camera crew roaming this place and the danger of getting caught so high. " And what would that be? The Cooper Summit District likes to crossdress? The Santa Fe District are Mutants?".

" Now you´re being silly, maybe it will be…..", Laurie wasn´t able to finish her sentence when she got grapped and pushed back in the safety of the corridor. For a moment she thought her heart had stopped beating for a tiny second from the thrill and maybe she had peed a little.

Maria was glancing around the wall; her mind not progressing what she was seeing so fast. It was something they all had assumed, but no one ever had any proof….until now. Her mouth was gaping wide open and her eyes were trying to take it all in. It was all true and the reason why the Cooper Summit District always had an advantage over anyone else. " They´re freaking half-breeds", she whispered.

Laurie was shocked and her expression showed it openly. Wrenching herself from the grip from the other girl, she took a little peek before hiding again. She couldn´t freaking believe it! Half-breeds weren´t just a rumor, they were freaking real. " Holy shit! It´s true. Everything they told us wasn´t just stories to scare us".

" Keep it down! We don´t want them to hear us; if they´re half-breeds they could have super hearing or something", not that she could do that; she could rather sense people and she feared that they could sense another half-breed close by.

Laurie covered her mouth with both hands and tried to breathe as quietly as possible. She didn´t want to end like this; not when she had still a chance to see her home again. " We should go".

Maria couldn´t just leave without finding out what powers they had and how they could use it to their advantage. She may have had to face two of them and she needed anything that could help her in the arena; but unfortunately she couldn´t tell the other girl that. " Go without me; I want to watch them for a little longer".

" Are you crazy? What if they catch you?".

Maria couldn´t keep her eyes away from them; the ease in which they could be so casual with the use of their powers while she was a walking bundle of fear; afraid someone could discover that she wasn´t exactly human. " It´s a risk I´m willing to take; but you should go".

Laurie knew that whatever she would say wouldn´t make an impact, so she didn't´even try it. She didn´t know why the other blonde was so fascinated about that, but she didn´t want to find that out either, at least not at this point. " Be careful".

" I will", her gaze wasn´t wavering from the people, but she heard the distinct steps from Laurie getting fainter and fainter in the distance. Pressing her body tighter at the wall, she strained her eyes to have a better visual. She wanted to find out what they were doing differently from what she was doing and how she could maybe do it better.

Zan was standing in front of his chosen, which were forming a line in the big hall. They were all seemingly not doing anything physical, because they looked like statues. And yet things were suspended in air or flames were shooting out of nowhere. Here and there little explosions happened, but nothing was breaking or getting damaged. She wondered how they did that. She was most of the time using her arms to get her powers going and most of the time it was a strain for her to even do something remotely cool. How did they wield this great power without any problems while she had to fight every inch? That was really good for her ego; now she felt more like a failure than before. Even Courtney, who Maria thought was too dumb to have a thought of her own, seemed to have no problems at all. It was so frustrating to have this gift and not be able to put it to good use. Unfortunately she couldn´t find out what she did wrong by just watching, so she decided to get the hell away before she got caught. Turning around, she was stunned when she collided with a wall of flesh and she was more stunned when she glanced up and stared at the amused eyes of the instructor of the Cooper Summit District.

" See anything you like?", Zan smiled down at her and his eyes roamed over her whole body.

Maria was two seconds away from a heartattacke or a stroke or something else deadly. She was alone and as she suspected the guy was a half-breed as well, which meant he was pretty dangerous for her health. There wouldn´t be any help for her right now, just her and her puny powers. So in order to maybe get herself some time until she could think about something to get out of the situation, she used the one thing that she was good at. " Actually yeah", stepping closer to him, she gave him a coy smile. " After seeing you last night I couldn´t get you out of my head and I had to see you again".

Zan´s smile got wider and his hands circled around her petite body. He would be down with getting a little action, even if it was with someone from another District. " What about Rath? I thought you two were an item?".

" It´s not like that between us; I can do whatever I want", Maria cringed inwardly at her own lie. She only hoped that Rath never got wind about she was doing here with Zan and she didn´t have to go to the extreme to keep the guy from finding out the real reason why she was sneaking around the place.

Zan let his hands wander and his right one was trying to find a way under her shirt. Her tits were small, but they would do for now. His left hand was grasping her chin and before she could utter a word he had pressed his lips against hers; his tongue plunging into her open mouth while his body started to heat up from the contact.

Maria tried not to think too much or else she would probably start crying, puking or do something that would bust her plan. Before she could however visualize that she was somewhere else with someone else, the kissing stopped abruptly; leaving her confused. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Rath pushing Zan tightly at the wall with his body.

" Get your hands off of her", he snarled angrily.

Zan didn´t appear to be fazed in the slightest; in fact he looked pretty amused. " Hey man, she came to me", glancing over the other man´s shoulder, he winked at her. " Didn´t you darling?"

Maria was mortified and covered her face with both of her hands. Why did the floor never open up and swallow her when she needed it. How did she always manage to get into these situations, where she didn´t come out of without any drama? " It´s not what looked like".

" Oh really; so I didn´t see you two kiss then?", Rath growled, not keeping his eyes away from the other man or loosening his deadly grip on him either.

Zan licked his lips and a huge smile was breaking out on his face. If he would have been able to move his arms, he would have adjusted his pants so that he could show the girl what she had missed. It was so much fun to mess with Rath; it had been so boring all those years with no one to keep him entertained. " Damn straight we kissed. I can still taste her in my mouth".

Maria groaned in irritation and was about to smack the hell out of the jackass for saying something disgusting, when she saw that Rath was doing that already for her. Before she could react, he had punched Zan so hard that blood was flying around and some of it was even hitting her.

" Don´t come near her; don´t think about her and don´t you dare look at her or I will kill you", with a last push, Rath whirled around and marched away.

Maria was really impressed about his alpha male behavior and part of her was very much turned on from it, but another part was afraid of the consequences that could follow this and she didn´t want Rath to get in trouble for her stupidity. Turning to Zan she gave him a shy smile. " I´m sorry".

Zan wiped the blood from his mouth and moved his jaw to make sure it wasn´t broken. Thankfully he wasn´t that delicate and could handle a good hit, even though he felt like he got hit from a train or something. Rath had a hell of a right hook. " It´s okay; it was worth it"

" I´m still sorry", feeling slightly stupid for apologizing to her enemy, she made a hasty retreat. From the distance she only could see the back from Rath and she started to run to catch up with him. She needed him to understand what was going on and that she hadn´t exactly enjoyed the kiss. Even though they weren´t together in that sense, she felt she owed him an explanation. " Rath please stop!".

But he didn´t, he wasn´t even appearing like he had heard her, even though she had called really loud. And yet he slightly slowed his quick steps; giving her a chance to catch up with him, which she did after a few seconds when he felt her hand clamping down on his arm. " What?".

Maria was taken aback from his tone and the fire blazing in his usual warm brown eyes. It had been a while since he had looked at her like that and she had to admit, she didn´t liked it. Before had been different; they hadn´t known each other and their first meeting hadn´t been a good one, but now they had gotten to know each other a lot better. " It´s really not what it looked like; I swear I´m not that kind of girl".

" Oh really; it didn´t look like that to me".

Maria knew that his anger was justified and if she would have been in his shoes, she would have been spittingly mad at him. But at least she would give him a chance to explain his behavior to him before she would get violent on his cheating ass. " Just listen to me and we can clear this right up. I only did it…."

Rath didn´t let her finish before he put up his hand to stop her from sprouting some lies in his direction. He didn´t want whatever happened between them to get tarnished by her feeding him some lines. " I don´t care. You can do whatever you want. And now let´s forget this incident and move on".

" You won´t even give me a chance to explain myself?", Maria was incredulous at his behavior toward her. How dare he treat her like she did something so terrible that she had to get punished for it.

Rath´s expression didn´t show any emotions, he had put on his stoic face that he had been famous for. " No, because it doesn´t matter. I´ll see you tomorrow early in the training room", with that he marched away from her again and left her standing in the middle of the hallway in confusion.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

Maria was pretty much pissed; pissed at Rath who was ignoring her, pissed at Liz who was trying to find out what had her in such a bad mood, pissed at Josh for a whole lot of reason, pissed at Max for making her feel stupid and pissed at Isabel for not leaving her alone. Everything and anything was putting her in a foul mood; not even the funny antics from Mason were able to get her out of the funk. The scowl on her face seemed to have taken permanent residence and she just focused all of her dark emotions on the task at hand.

Too bad that the physical aspect of the training was finished; she could have used the exercise at this point. But the mental preparation was just as important as the rest and she needed to get her head out of her ass again; she wasn´t here to find a lover, she was here to learn to survive in the arena. And yet all she could think about was the look on Rath´s face when he told her that he didn´t care what she did and with whom. He didn´t even let her explain to him what had really happened; like what was going on with them hadn´t been anything at all.

" Where are you right now?".

Maria startled out of her thoughts and turned her head towards Isabel, who was obviously part Ninja with her silent approach. Jeez, the girl should wear bells or something to give anyone a chance to escape her. " I´m here".

Isabel tried to keep her amusement down; even though it was taking a great deal. Rath had been in a snit since this morning and it was worse than anything she had ever faced with him and now Maria was distracted and highly snappish. It didn´t need a genius to figure out that those two things were interwined with each other. " No you´re not. You´re usually more focused on your training, but today you´re very distracted"

" I´m sorry; I try to get into the training again", Maria glanced at the front where Rath was illustrating the most important rules of the arena aside from fighting for your life. Like that wasn´t enough already, no you had to remember all those rules as well. Thankfully her father had taught her a lot of that.

Rath was avoiding making direct eye contact with anyone of his chosen while he was pacing. " Your first priority has to be finding water, food and shelter. You have to keep your body strong in order to fight. It doesn´t matter what you have to do in order to that; you can´t be afraid of getting dirty or have to do something you´re not comfortable with. Eating insects or small animals could save your life in the long run. There are a lot of little streams around the arena; use them to keep your water level high; dehydration is one of the main reason for chosen to die early in the game".

Isabel was glad that her companion was in the middle of the game again, but she didn´t like that he was so unhappy, even though he would probably never admit to it. She saw it in his eyes and she hoped that whatever had been going on between him and Maria, that they would work it out. " Watch out for animals. Some of them are really dangerous and deadly. Be careful where you step on, there will probably be traps or ambushes. Be on alert all the time. Try to find a safe place to sleep; you need to sleep or your senses and reflexes will be sluggish, which will get you killed".

" Prepare yourself to spent a lot of time alone; it will get lonely in the arena and some people are not coping well with that. Your mind will be playing tricks on you and you can´t succumb to that, because then you already lost. You have to quickly adept to every situation; the aliens love to throw the chosen out of the loop. You need to be smart and creative. Don´t hesitate out there; if it´s killed or being killed, you have to be faster than your enemy. A few second could cost you your life. Leave your morals out of the arena; no matter what your parents taught you will be nonexistent from this point on. Be ruthless, but not stupid", Rath had learned that the hard way.

Maria did understand the principle of being ruthless and the whole Darwinism thing, but she was sure that it would take her a while to get used to that. She was always looking out for her family and Alex, always making sure that they´re alright. " So you basically tell us that we have to become killing machines".

Rath glanced at her for the first time since he caught her macking on Zan last night. Even though he wanted to ignore her, he couldn´t avoid answering her question. After all he was still her instructor and as much as he was angry at her for playing him, he didn´t want her to die. " Exactly. The chosen from the other districts will be the same. You don´t want to be in disadvantage, do you?"

" How do you switch off your feelings?", Maria had to use the opportunity to throw that at him when he was finally talking to her again.

Rath quickly caught on and he would have smiled at her cleverness, if he wasn´t still so furios at her. She had been special and now he was pissed at himself for letting his guard down for once, something he would definetly not do in the near future again. There had been a reason why he had lived his life in this isolation. " You learn to do it".

Maria gave him her iciest glare she could muster before she decided to be the smart one and keep her mouth shut. It wouldn´t look good if she would start a fight with him, not with the cameras around and whole room full of witnesses. " I hope I can learn that as fast as you", she couldn´t help herself to say.

" I´m sure you´re on the right path already", Rath threw back.

As much as Isabel liked the verbal matches between those two, she wasn´t so happy with the way things were going at this point. They weren´t here for that and they needed to get a move on if they wanted to stick to the timetable. They had to cram a lot of knowledge into the heads of their chosen and they didn´t have a lot of time left to do it. " Okay, now that this is cleared we´ll start with building traps, shelter and fire".

Instantly the group was following after her without any word, even though Max, Josh and Liz exchanged knowing glances with each other. They suspected that the conversation between Rath and Maria hadn´t been about the arena at all and they wondered what had been happening between them that they were so angry at each other.

" Are you okay?", Mason stayed close to Maria. She had been so quiet since this morning and he was worried about her.

Maria smiled down at him and ruffled his hair lovingly. Everyone had glanced at her when she wasn´t her usual talkative self when they went to the mess hall. Not even the whispered rumors about her had been bothering her, which was mostly because of her wandering thoughts. She had been going through everything happening the night before over and over again. She analysed every gesture, every word and every expression, without any result. Then she came to the conclusion that if he wasn´t going to listen to her than he wasn´t worth it. Even though her head had accepted the fact, her heart wasn´t ready for that. " I´m fine. How are you? Any nightmares?".

Mason tried to swat her hand away from his head; glad that she seemed to be in a better mood. He hated when she was anything but happy. " Not since I have you watching over me".

" Good; let´s hope they stay away for now on", Maria was relieved that she still had one male in here that she could help and who appreciated what she did. Glancing behind her she was stunned when she saw Rath gazing at her for a second before he avoided her eyes by dropping his head.

**Later that evening**

Maria was restless and her mood had taken a trip down since dinner at the mess hall. The rumors about Rath had ceased a bit, but now there were new ones about her and Zan. Everyone had been staring at her and they hadn´t even tried to hide the fact. She loathed the fact that she couldn´t do anything against it and that she wasn´t strong enough to just ignore it. The rest of her group was giving her the pity stares and that irked her more. A few times she had been tempted to stand up and punch everyone talking shit about her. But she knew that it wouldn´t solve anything. Now she was standing at the window and watched the sky darken. Her eyes were unfocused and her body hummed with too much energy. She needed to do something or she would expose herself. Whirling around and startling everyone else in the common room, she went into the bedroom, got her running shoes and then stormed out while the others were wondering what she was doing so late.

Five minutes later she was running laps around the tracks outside; the only company the wind, the moon and the sounds of nature around her. Her feet pounded the ground with the force of her anger she couldn´t let out inside. Her mind was assaulted from every insult she had heard this day and the stares that had been thrown her way and her legs were pumping faster and faster; seemingly making her almost flying like an arrow through the air. She wished that she could stop her head from playing those scenes over and over like an endless loop of misery. And like that all wasn´t enough, she was haunted from Rath´ face when he gazed at her the night before. It was like a painful stab in her heart everytime she remembered it and she hated herself for feeling like that. She had always avoided guys, because she had feared that one of them could mean so much to her that he was able to hurt her so bad that she would probably never recover from it. She may have been not beyond repair, but that she couldn´t stop thinking about him and that she felt guilty for hurting him was making her afraid for the condition of her heart.

Why didn´t he let her explain what had been going on? Why had he been so quick to judge her? If he liked her as much as she did him, wouldn´t he wanted to preserve whatever they had? Fight for something that was very rare and precious? Didn´t she meant anything at all to him? Had he played her to get into her pants? Did he maybe actually believe the rumors that she just wanted him for the advantage? Why didn´t he trust her? So many questions and no way of knowing the answer; no one that she could ask about it, because the only one giving her those answers wasn´t talking to her and she was getting angrier by the minute.

Feeling her lungs and legs burning from the exercise, she went to one of the trees and leant against it; trying to catch her breath. For one crazy moment she thought she heard a voice calling her, but she thought that it was probably just her blood pumping loudly in her ear. Concentrating on getting enough oxygen in her body, she was really mad when her mind started wandering to her early predictment again. She wished she could wipe the last few weeks from her memory and start over. She would stop her stupid heart from developing feelings for Rath, would stop herself from making a fool out of her and stop being this irrational person that she didn´t know anymore.

When she did she become someone that she didn´t want to be? Like any other girl that she had usually laughed about with Alex. Slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand repeatedly, she tried to get her mind out of this funk and function properly again. She had much worse problems right now and this little clitch was not important. In less than two weeks she would be fighting for her life and that was what she had to focus on. Unfortunately she couldn´t do that, because Rath was the only thought keeping her head busy.

" Stupid asshat; freaking dumbass, get out of my head", Maria growled furiosly while she lifted her right hand and in a burst of anger punched the bark of the tree. She regretted that move instantly when she heard the crunch and hot slicing pain trailed up her complete arm.

Jumping up and down to ease the pain and cursing her idiocy, she was stunned as soon as she noticed that she wasn´t alone and that her little stunt had been done with an audience. Putting her bleeding and probably broken hand behind her back, she tried to appear casual. " What are you doing here?".

Isabel had seen a lot; whining guys, snobby girls, aggressive dudes and bitchy chicks. But never someone that was as complex as this girl. She was never as you expected her. When you thought you had her figured out, she did something complete different. " I could ask you the same. You should get as much rest as you can get before the arena".

" I was restless and thought a little exercise would tire me out", Maria wanted to cry, scream or otherwise relieve the pain shooting darts of burning arrows up and down her arm. Something wet and warm was dripping down her fingers and she hoped that she wouldn´t pass out from the loss.

Isabel stepped closer to the other girl and pulled her right arm from her back, wincing slightly at the damaged hand that was bleeding and looking like she had seriously smashed the bones in it. Whatever was going on at this point was not of her concern, but when a chosen was inflicting injuries on themselves she was very worried about the outcome. " Don´t let those rumors bother you. This is just another part of warfare".

Maria wished the rumors were her only problem, but she couldn´t confide her worries to her. Everything she would say could break her neck and that wasn´t just a figure of speech in her case. " I know that".

" Rath will come around as well; he´s just a little different than other guys", Isabel pulled her charge in the direction of the sitting area around the running tracks; all the while holding the bleeding hand in the air to keep the bloodflow to a minimum.

Maria wanted so badly to tell her feelings to the other girl, because she knew Rath like no other person knew him. But fear and worry was blocking the words from coming out. She couldn´t trust anybody and she loathed that she didn´t have her family around. They would listen to her and she could be sure that nothing she said would leave the confines of their home. " Why are you talking about him?".

Isabel gave the blonde a look that questioned her intelligence. It wasn't such a secret any longer; everyone knew or rather saw that there was more than just teacher/student. Both were very obvious about their feelings. " Because he´s part of the reason for your behavior. You are falling in love with him".

" Love! What! No!".

Isabel tried to hide her smile at the flustered state of the other girl. If it hadn´t been more than visible before that there were deeper emotions involved, this performance was all the evidence she needed. Putting a reassuring hand on Maria´s shoulder, she made an attempt to calm her down. " You can deny it all you want, but it won´t change anything. Besides, you´re not alone with that feeling".

Maria stopped the response that had been on the tip of her tongue when the words penetrated her brain. For a moment she forgot the pain in her hand and the rumors slowly picking at the walls she had been building up her whole life. " What do you mean with that?".

" I know Rath and he usually doesn´t let anyone get close to him; and yet you managed to get under his skin very quickly. The moment I saw you two interacting with each other, I knew that I was witnessing something rare happening. He´s trying to keep his feelings for himself, but I recognized the signs. He´s overprotective of you, his eyes are sparkling when you walk into a room and he smiles when he thinks no one is watching him".

Maria was speechless; her mouth opened and closed like she was a fish, but no words came out. How could she even reply to something like that? Besides, if he supposedly "loved" her, why was he pushing her away like she was a piece of junk? This was probably just her ears playing a trick on her and she misheard; there was no way this could be true.

If the situation wouldn´t have been that dire, Isabel would have laughed at the look from the other girl. Those two were so clueless it was almost comical to watch them; like two blind people bumping around the room looking for an exit. " Don´t look so shocked. It´s obvious to anyone what you two feel for each other".

" Then why is he behaving like I´ve done something horrible? I mean, okay Zan kissed me, but I didn´t like it or wanted it in the first place", if the cat was out of the bag already, there was no need to hide anymore. So Maria asked the question that had been running around her head all day.

Isabel had thought the rumors about Zan had been just that, rumors. No wonder Rath was a ticking timebomb about to go off any moment. It was even a miracle that Zan was still walking around with all limbs attached to his body. The old Rath would have punched the guy to a bloody pulp without any hesitation. " Why were you near Zan? And why did he kiss you?".

Maria felt her face flush with embarrassement. Now that was something that was harder to explain than her growing feelings for Rath. As much as she liked Isabel, a part of her did still not trust the girl with everything. But she had to come up with something or she could kiss her relationship with Rath goodbye for good. " Laurie and I were exploring the grounds when we heard noises and went there to find out what it was. Turned out to be an unofficial training lesson for the Copper Summit District. Zan caught me and I had to do something to get him off of my back, so I flirted with him a little".

" So you found out the not so hidden secret from the District?.

Maria was stunned for a moment and stared at the other blonde like she just did a naked jiggle in front of her. Why did she have the feeling that everyone knew more about those half-breeds than she did and she was one of them? " You know about them being half-breeds?".

Isabel chuckled at the way the other girl was uttering the last word; like it was a crime to say them out loud. There were a lot of things the chosen was not aware of and it was time to stop with their hide and seek game. Not only Rath wanted a winner this time, she wanted to see her charge kicking those Copper Summit freaks asses. " There are a lot of more half-breeds than you realize", to emphasize her point, she stroked tenderly over Maria´s wounded hand until the flesh was umblemished and the blood gone.

" Woah Nelly!", Maria was taken aback from the demonstration and honestly a little freaked. She hadn´t seen that one coming and she was curios how many people she had encountered her whole life had been like her without noticing anything.

Isabel patted the other girl´s now healed hand and smiled at the shocked expression. It wasn´t something that she saw everyday and she enjoyed it while it would last. " Yeah, you didn´t know that you´re not the only one special around here, did you?".

Maria was examining her unhurt hand where a few seconds earlier blood had been dripping on the ground and her bones had felt like she had smashed them into pieces; but instead there wasn´t anything like she hadn´t lost a fight with a tree a while ago. " How the hell can you do that? I barely can stop a nosebleeding and you just waved your hand over broken bones and open wounds without breaking out in a sweat".

" I had a good teacher. You´re not the only one Rath showed the shed to", Isabel didn´t mention that the healing part had taken her years to perfect into making it look effortless. There had been a lot of tears, blood and cursing involved until she had the hang of it.

Maria felt slightly jealous about the fact that Rath had spent time alone with Isabel in the shed that she thought was a special place for both of them. She had thought that there was something rare going on and now she found out that she wasn´t the only one coming in the pleasure of his "extra training". And then a horrible thought occurred to her. " You and Rath didn´t….. I mean…..".

Isabel´s expression slipped away and she was looking like she just tasted something extremely disgusting. A shudder went through her complete frame. Just the thought alone was making her uncomfortable. Rath was good looking and they were very close, but he was more like a brother to her. " Ewwww no. Thanks for putting that horrible thought in my head. I will have nightmares for days now".

" Hey! For your information he´s a really good kisser", Maria felt the need to defend him, even though she was relieved to know that there wasn´t anything more going on between those two. What Rath and her shared was still something out of the ordinary.

Isabel was in the process to cover her ears and hum some tune to prevent herself from hearing too much information when she noticed that they weren´t alone anymore. Glancing up she was not so surprised to see the shape of Rath standing near them with his trademark stance and his stoic expression. " I think it´s time to check on the others".

Maria was confused about the sudden mood change and watched the other blonde getting up. " What´s going on?". Then her eyes fell on the person invading the spot where Isabel had been sitting before and her stomach thightned for a second..

" So I´m a good kisser? Better than Zan?".

Maria didn´t know how to act; she couldn´t figure out in which mood Rath was and she didn´t want to continue their little feud. She had enough trouble for one day, she didn´t need more of it. " How much did you hear?".

Rath was still undecided if he should let her stew a little bit more or finally getting her out of the misery. Part of him was still pissed about her behavior, even though he now knew the reason behind it; but it still stung that she had been going behind his back and almost got herself in deep shit. " Enough, but that doesn´t excuse what you did".

" I know and I´m sorry. If it´s any comfort for you the kiss with Zan was disgusting. I almost drowned myself in mouthwash to get the taste out of my mouth", Maria hoped that he would go easy on her; she had never been in a relationship with a guy and the didn´t know how to act in such a situation.

Rath hated that Zan had invaded something that had been his and he hated more that he let jealousy cloud his mind. He was usually more in control of his emotions and since Maria walked into his life, there wasn´t any control anymore and it was making him slightly edgy. When you didn´t have anything worth fighting for in your life nobody could take it away from you, which in return makes you in some kind invincible. " What were you thinking wandering this place? Didn´t we all decide to keep out of the other´s chosen sight? Do you want to get harrassed by them again?"

Maria cast her eyes down and glanced at her knotted fingers in her lap. She felt kinda bad for her behavior and if she would have known the outcome of their little adventure, she would have stayed away; but now it was too late anyway. " Sorry, Laurie wanted to spent some time with me and I needed a little distraction from the rumors floating around. We didn´t mean any harm".

" Did Laurie see anything?", Rath didn´t need more people spreading rumors around, even though in that case it weren´t exactly rumors.

Maria winced when she thought about the hushed whispers the night before and how shocked her friend had been when she said that the Copper Summit District was full of half-breeds. It had been apparent that the other blonde had never encountered anyone not fully human in her life. " Yes; she was pretty surprised about our discovery".

Rath groaned in annoyance. He should have known that two blondes would cause trouble and be really bad for his health. Damn women and their damn curiosity. Rubbing his face, he wondered how he should proceed from here. " Do you think she will talk about it? I mean we don´t need more reason for the Copper Summit District to hate us".

" I don´t know what she will do; I hope she knows to keep her mouth shut about it", she needed to find time to talk to her friend and try to explain to her that it would be good for her to keep the knowledge to herself until after she was home again.

Rath wished there would be just one day without any drama; just one day. But looking at Maria, he knew that it would be impossible and he would have to endure the drama if he wanted to keep her safe. Taking her hand, he drew her closer to him. " Don´t you ever do that to me again or I will get really pissed".

Maria felt like a huge boulder was dropping from her chest and a smile broke out on her face before she could stop it. She hadn´t known how much his opinion about her was so important; she had never cared about what others thought about her, never listened to what people said about her, because it didn´t matter to her. But with him it was a pretty much different. " I promise I won´t kiss another person except for you".

" I sure hope so; you don´t want to be responsible for someone dying because he´s poaching in my territory, do you?", Rath gave her the sternest look he could muster; even though he was fighting his amusment. Not that he was kidding; he would kill anyone daring to kiss her. She was his and his alone; no one else was allowed to touch her.

Maria´s heart was fluttering in her chest at his words; she wasn´t doubting that he would do it and part of her was clearly pleased at his jealousy, but she wouldn´t want him to get in trouble for something silly like that. She wasn´t worth to risk his life for such a stupid reason; not even if she would probably do the same if anyone would mack on her man. " Poaching in your territory? I´m not a piece of land to fight over you know….".

Rath had enough of this talking shit; he put his hand on the back of her head; pulled her face towards his and silenced her with a kiss. He was better at the action than the talking anyway. The moment his lips touched hers everything was just falling away. The rumors, the fight, the impending doom, the trouble with Zan and most of all the thought that this would be the last days he would have with Maria. He just enjoyed being close to her.

" Oh man that hurts; yesterday you kiss me and now him. Are you trying to make me jealous?".

Maria cringed at the voice and she felt Rath pulling away from her. Only her quick reflexes and her foresight were responsible for her action when she climbed on Rath´s lap. She didn´t want a fight; not at this point in the game and especially not with someone like Zan. He was probably not fighting fair and she didn´t want him to have an advantage over her. " Sorry to tell you this, but kissing you was a mistake and not that good either. I´m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression".

Rath had wanted to stand up and put his fist right in the middle of the other guys smug face, but as soon as he heard the words leaving Maria´s mouth, he couldn´t keep the smirk from appearing. Ducking his head to hide his amusement, he wondered what she had to say next.

" Oh honey, you shouldn´t think so highly of you either. I´m a guy and if I want to get laid I don´t care about who it is with. I thought you were easy and that was the only reason why I let you kiss me in the first place", Zan sneared at her.

Maria was fuming inwardly and she knew what game that asshole was playing. Thankfully she had enough brains to not give into him and she hoped that Rath wouldn´t either. But when she noticed him tensing behind her, she knew that it would be getting ugly in the next few seconds. So in order to stop a brawl between to the two men, she got to her feet and in Zan´s face. " The only reason I kissed you, was to avoid any trouble for being outside my sleeping quarters so late. I would never kiss someone like you voluntary", making her appear taller she got closer to him and stared deep in his eyes. " Now get lost before I decide to bash your face in".

For a moment Zan seemed to want to engage in a fight with her; then suddenly his eyes glazed over and he stepped back from her. Whirling around, he marched away without saying anything. His steps were robotic and strange; like he wasn´t himself.

" What just happened?", Maria was baffled about the weird behavior. She didn´t know what was going on, but she had felt something when she told Zan to back off and it had been oddly familiar, even though she was sure that something like that had never happened to her before.

Rath glanced at the retreating back of Zan and then at Maria, who was looking pretty stunned. If he would have been a normal guy, he would have been probably as surprised as her, but having trained a few chosen in his time, he had seen a lot stranger things. Standing up, he put both of his hands on her shoulders and turned her in his direction, making direct eye contact with her. " We finally figured out what your primarily power is".

Maria stumbled back slightly from him; like his words had slapped her. That couldn´t be her secret super power, she wanted something as cool as Rath with his controlling of the elements and his strength or something useful like Isabel and her healing hands; not that shitty ability to make people do to her bidding. " Great, the Cooper Summit District has the power to make explosions with their hands and I can compell people? Really helpful".

" Are you kidding? Do you think what a great gift that is? All the others have to hide their powers; you can use it without anyone realizing what is going on", Rath had been a little worried that they wouldn´t have enough time to find out what she was good at and now that he knew what they were dealing with he could prepare for their sessions from now on.

Maria scowled at him; hating that he was seeing the positive in that situation while she couldn´t find anything good at it. She had always thought that she was maybe on the bottom of the level from the half-breeds; short of being a human with a little alien DNA in the mix. Sean was really powerful and could lift a boulder with just a flick of his hand or could set a forest on fire with a look. And now she found out that she had that compulsion thing going on. Fantastic, that would get her far in the arena. " In order for that to work I have to be close to them and do you think they will stand still and let me compell them? I don´t think so. I´m so screwed".

Rath couldn´t stand to see her so defeated; he needed her to be the strong girl he met all those weeks ago. She wasn´t like everyone else and he knew that she was braver and greater than anyone else he had trained so far. It wasn´t just her alien DNA that made her strong, it was her personality and the will to be better than everybody. " You´re not. Now that we know what we´re dealing with, we can focus more on it and when you´re in the arena you will be able to compell anyone in a hundred mile radius".

" Are you sure that´s even possible?", not that she was a pessimist; usually her view on life was more on the glass is half full kinda side, but this was different. This time it wasn´t just about the fairness of the system they were living in; now it was literally about life and death, her death.

Rath smiled at her and it wasn´t even that fake thing he did when he was pissed, but didn´t want anyone to know about it; this time it was a real one. " We make it possible; you´ll see".

**Next morning**

Maria was sitting outside the training room; book in one hand and her breakfast standing besides her. Here and there she was picking up some of the food while she was reading about how to survive in the wild. She was just at the capital about which animal was the juiciest when she heard the others coming for the daily torture. Jumping to her feet, she quickly hid her book and put away the tray with her breakfast before disappearing inside the room. With seconds to spare she was tying different knots when everyone was entering; seemingly in high spirits. Even Isabel couldn´t keep a straight face and was proudly grinning at Rath, who was rubbing his knuckles.

" What did I miss?".

Max left Liz´ side and put his arm around his second favorite person in this place. For once eating at the mess hall had been anything than scary or awkward. No matter what would be going down in the next two weeks, he would look back at this moment and smile. " Rath punched Zan. It was epic".

Maria gasped and stared at her instructor with utter surprise. She should have known not to leave him out of her sight with the possiblity of both guys clashing against each other. Unfortunately her annoyance with the rumors and the draining fight from the day before had made her hide from anyone. Even though she was annoyed at the alpha male behavior, she felt slightly amused about the way he was standing there like he discovered fire for the first time. " He did what? Why?".

" Zan accused you of being a half-breed; saying that you did something to him last night and he would make sure that everyone would find out about you", Liz piped in with a giggle.

For a tiny second Maria´s features froze in fear at the words. She hadn´t thought about the consequences of her actions and she was worried that President Kivar or someone else would be getting wind of the dispute and kill her or harm her family; but then she saw the little shake of Rath´s head and she felt slightly relieved. " Oh wow; more rumors about me. I feel so special".

Isabel smiled at her and patted her shoulder before going back to the trap building station. They had still a lot of ground to cover. " Guys let´s continue with our training. Chop, Chop, there´s not a lot of time left".

" You´re like a broken record", Max grumbled quietly while he and the others followed her. They knew that their doom was fastly approaching and that they still had to learn a lot, but she didn´t have to tell them that on a regular basis.

Maria was stunned about his behavior. The guy had been usually so quiet and polite; seemingly making himself invisible to the people. A few weeks in this building and he was starting a lot to sound like her and it wasn´t exactly sitting well with her. She had liked him before better; it was more like him. Or maybe she had just to get used to this version of him. " Woah sparky, there´s only place for one sarcastic smartass around here".

Rath turned away and tried to keep the snickering to a minimum; but as soon as he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat he knew that he was busted. Glancing at the pain in the ass he couldn´t stop fantasizing about, he gave her his most sincere smile. " What? I didn´t say anything".

"You didn´t have to jerk", whirling around Maria pushed past the two males and made her way towards Liz; at least the girl was on her side.

Rath exchanged an amused look with Max before they followed after the blonde pissed off female, but before he took one step the door to the training room was opening and the camera team was spilling inside. One of the young dudes was splitting from the others and walked towards them. " Can I help you?".

The guy did not seem to be fazed about the growling instructor; nor did it appear like he cared for the question thrown his way. Without acknowledging the other man´s presence he marched in the direction of the girls. His expression didn´t give anything away, which was making everyone else taking notice of the new situation. Isabel and Rath exchanged stunned glances, Max and Mason worriedly followed the spectacle while Zoey and Josh seemed oblivious to everything.

" Ms. Deluca, would you please follow me".

Maria was slightly scared about the request and partly curious what this was about. She didn´t know if this was unusual or just some part of the deal. When she dared to take a quick peek at Rath, she knew that whatever happened wasn´t in the plan at all. " Why?".

The young man didn´t make an impression like he was used to get asked questions about his intentions. He just waved a hand in the direction of the door without saying a word. But when he noticed that she wasn´t moving, he broke the silence. " Because I said so".

" She´s not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on", Rath stepped in, surprising himself and the rest of the group with his alpha male behaviour. There was no way that he would let anyone take her without any explanation.

Maria was glad that he had interfered, because she was not exactly thrilled about this situation and she was afraid to tell the guy what she was really thinking. She had to keep a low profile for now, at least until the rumors about her had died down. But it seemed like there was always something going on involving her and she was tired of it all.

The camera guy seemed to lose his patience and his expression turned from stoic to angry in a matter of seconds. His posture was suddenly appearing bigger and much more threatening. " If you don´t want the President to know about your disobidience, you let me do my job and not stand in my way"

" Fine, I´ll come with you", Maria quickly agreed as soon as she saw that Rath was about to start a pissing contest. They had to do everything to stay under the radar for the moment and someone tattling to the President was the last thing they needed.

Rath didn´t like it and he kept his eyes on their backs until they disappeared. He exchanged a worried glance with Isabel, who seemed just as confused about the whole situation, which didn´t help him one bit. The others had been watching the spectacle and only returned to their task when they felt the stares from their instructors.

Meanwhile Maria followed the young man quietly down the hallway; her stomach in knots and her hands tightly pressed into fists to stop from shaking. Her feelings were telling her to flee while her legs felt like they were made from rubber. The fear was increasing as soon as she saw that he was leading her into an abandoned section of the building. It was cold and dark; no cameras, no other people and probably the best place to kill someone. " Where are we going?".

" To get some privacy".

Maria was really close to turn around and make a run for it or fight this guy if it came to that. Her unease was increasing when she heard the word privacy. Why did he need privacy? What was he planning to do that needed any privacy at all? But before she could voice her concerns, she was pushed into a dark room and the door slammed shut loudly and tight behind her. " If you try to touch me in any way, I´m gonna kill you".

The light flicked on and instead of the camera guy, someone else was standing in his place; older and not so much threatening. " Don´t worry, I´m not into young girls, especially ones that are related to me".

" Gramps", Maria felt all the tension leave her body in a massive wave. She had been prepared to defend herself against sexual harrassement or something even worse. She was so relieved to see a familiar face and before she could stop herself threw herself in his arms. " You scared to me half to death".

Nasedo slightly scowled at the way she was referring to him, but let it slide as soon as he felt her slamming against him. For a second he didn´t know what was going on and when his brain caught up with his limbs he held onto her. Since he lost his mate years ago he never thougth that he would ever have that feeling of content with someone else hugging him again. " Sorry; I had to be a little sneaky. More security in this building".

Maria let the comfort of his embrace wash over her, while her homesickness got worse. She missed those hugs from her mom or her dad so much and knowing that she would probably never have the chance to experience them was hitting her in this moment. A sob escaped her throat and she tried unsuccessfully to keep the tears at bay.

" Hey little one, there´s no need for tears", Nasedo rubbed her back to sooth her crying. He was a little out of his depth here.

Maria buried her face into his shoulder and tried to get her feelings under control again. The rumors, the fight with Rath and the fear of the future had finally taken a toll on her. She was letting everything she had held inside out and it felt kinda good to do that. After a few minutes of crying and hiccupying it stopped as suddenly as it had appeared. Sniffing slightly she stepped back from her grandfather and wiped the wetness from her face. " Sorry about that. I´m usually more in control of my emotions".

Nasedo gave her a small smile while he tenderly stroked her slightly reddened cheek. She was tougher than most, but she was still a young woman thrust into a dangerous situation; even men older than her would cave under the pressure. " It´s okay darling; everyone goes through this at least once here. You even endured longer than most chosen".

" That doesn´t mean I don´t feel embarrassed to bawl on you like a cry baby", breathing deeply in and out, she finally found her composure again and went into business mode. There had to be a good reason for her grandfather to seek her out, especially so close to the dooms day. " What made you come here?".

Nasedo was amazed about her ability to not lose her focus, even after her little breakdown. She was her fathers daughter. It was so eerie to see the resemblance between her and his son. " The rumors flying around of you being a half-breed and making out with two instructos".

Maria cringed at the reminder and her complete expression showed her guilt; she hadn´t known that even the higher level aliens knew about what was going on around here. That made her embarrassement even worse to know that everyone thought she was easy and probably a threat to the aliens. She had wanted to blend into the background to not draw any attention to her. Obviously she blew it. " Oh man, Zan is such an asshole. I should have punched his face so hard that he would have never been able to speak again".

" So it´s true then?".

Maria wished she could tell him that all was a lie, but some of it was the truth. She had kissed Rath and Zan and she was a half-breed. But now she had to find a way to shut Zan up forever. " It´s a little bit more complicated, but mostly yeah".

Nasedo sighed in annoyance. He had hoped that she would tell him that everything he heard was just rumors from opponents to weaken her. Now he needed to figure out how to stop those words from reaching Kivar; which would be hard, but hopefully not impossible. " What were you thinking? You can´t draw more attention to you. Kivar has already his eyes on you and I don´t want him to have more reason to look closer".

" I´m sorry, I didn´t mean to do that. Everything is so fucked up right now and I´m afraid to make matter worse", Maria brushed her hand through her hair in frustration.

Nasedo grasped her shoulders and glanced intently in her eyes. She was family and he would do everything in his powers to protect her; even if that meant he had to betray his people in order to do that. They had to be a little more sneaky and risky, but he would make sure that his granddaughter would not become a target for the President. " I will take care of this"

Maria was not exactly thrilled about the words and the way he was saying them. It gave her a bad feeling in her stomach. " What are you going to do?".

" You don´t need to know. The less you know the better for you", with that Nasedo went out the door and left his granddaughter slightly confused back.

TBC


End file.
